Imperial Irrigation District continues to urge its customers to do what they can to voluntarily conserve electricity and take stress off the local electric grid as the current heat wave continues to affect its service area.
“During this time of intense heat that is affecting all of the state, we ask our customers to do their part to help our grid by conserving energy where possible,” Marilyn del Bosque Gilbert, IID’s energy manager, stated in a press release. “This will go a long way in helping the local grid and avoiding service interruptions.”
In preparation for the increase in energy demand, IID continues to work to procure energy resources as needed to meet the demand of its customers and avoid service interruptions. Further, IID is not a member of the California Independent System Operator, and CAISO’s rotating outage orders do not apply to IID customers.
Should energy demand surpass IID’s available supply, the district has an action plan in place where a small number of customers could experience a temporary loss of power for 15-minute periods.
To help avoid this, the district asks residents and businesses to conserve energy by:
- Setting thermostats at 78 degrees or higher when home.
- Using floor or ceiling fans to cool off for less; however, be sure to turn fans off when you leave a room as they only cool people, not spaces.
- Turning off all unnecessary lights.
- Avoiding use of major appliances like washers, dryers, dishwashers, pool pumps, applicable industrial equipment, etc., between peak hours of 4 p.m. and 9 p.m.
- Blocking the sun from overheating your home. Inside, use shades, blinds, and drapes. Outside, use awnings, trees, and shrubs.
State action on energy supply
As the persistent, record-breaking heat wave in California and the western states is causing strain on energy supplies, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Aug. 17 signed a heat emergency proclamation to free up energy capacity to reduce the need for temporary energy-service disruptions.
This allows some energy users and utilities to use backup energy sources to relieve pressure on the grid during peak times during the energy emergency.
As the heat wave persists, IID continues to work to bring more energy resources online to meet the energy demand.
