On a day that feels like 110 degrees (which is hotter than it feels in Death Valley!), New York City broke its nearly two-year record for electric usage. Con Ed says, "Day six of a scorching heat wave in the New York area has pushed electric usage to a new all-time high in Con Edison’s service area today, reaching a peak of 13,214 megawatts (MW) at 2 p.m. The previous all-time peak record was 13,189 MW set on July 22, 2011." You did it!
However, no one wants power outages, so please heed Con Edison's suggestions for conserving energy:
- Install a timer or clock thermostat on your air conditioner so you can program it to operate and shut-off at a pre-determined time.
- If you have a room air-conditioning unit, close off the rooms not being used; if you have central air, block off the vents for un-used rooms.
- Plan cooking, baking or other household activities that produce heat and humidity for the cooler times of the day and night.
- Use a portable or ceiling fan to circulate the pre-cooled air in your air-conditioned home. A fan uses about 90 percent less energy than an air conditioner.
- In very humid weather, adjust your air conditioner’s fan to a low setting. It’ll take longer for the air conditioner to cool your home, but your unit will bring in steamy air at a slower rate and make you feel more comfortable.
- Pull your curtains and shades on windows to block out the heat.
Con Ed says it "continued to urge customers to conserve energy as best as possible. Demand response programs, which pay large customers to cut back on power usage during heat waves, are helping to reduce demand by approximately 400 MW. Meanwhile, Con Edison crews continue to work tirelessly in the intense heat conditions to restore customers impacted by scattered power outages."
Now go share a tiny bathtub with a friend.
