Heat wave prompts utility to ask customers to conserve energy

LA QUINTA, Calif. (KESQ) – The Coachella Valley is set to see another round of extreme heat through the weekend and into next week.

With temperatures above 110°F for an extended period and highs that could peak up to 118°F, Imperial Irrigation District (IID) is forecasting added strain on its electrical grid.

As local residents reach for the thermostat, the utility asked its customers to limit their electrical use between the peak hours of 4 p.m. and 9 p.m.

"Heat this extreme drives a sharp rise in electricity use as air conditioners run longer and harder across the region. When demand climbs this high, it places added strain on the electric grid and may require IID to purchase additional power on the open market, often at higher prices when regional supplies are tight," IID's news release stated.

"A Conserve Alert is not an outage or a planned interruption. It is a request for customers to voluntarily reduce energy use for a few hours, especially during the 4-9 p.m. peak window, while staying safe and comfortable. IID issues these alerts during heat waves or other conditions that place added strain to the grid," the release added.

The utility outlined these steps to help conserve energy:

• Avoiding use of major appliances, such as washers, dryers, dishwashers, pool pumps and electric vehicle chargers, between 4-9 p.m.
• Setting thermostats at 78 degrees or higher when home.
• Turning off unnecessary lights.
• Closing blinds, shades or drapes to keep homes cooler.
• Using fans, when possible, while turning them off when leaving a room.

You can view the full news release from Imperial Irrigation District by clicking on this link.

Technicians with General AC and Plumbing added on: the extreme heat can put additional strain on your air conditioning units, too. Paying attention to how you maintain your A/C unit and what you set your thermostat to can have significant impacts on your energy bill and and the life of your equipment.

Frankie Rodriguez, a technician with the General, walked us through the most sensitive components on an air conditioning unit, including its capacitors and the contactor – both of which are critical parts.

"This is one of the most vital parts of the whole system, and it's one of the easiest to get overloaded or have stress put on it," he said, holding up the capacitor.

"If you can prevent how much the unit kicks on, you're going to prevent less wear and tear on these parts right here. And it's going to save you money and [increase] efficiency," he explained.

How do you do that? He said keeping the thermostat set to 78°F or above will limit how often the unit kicks on, keeping the parts in better condition over the long-term. That advice was echoed by Imperial Irrigation District.

A spokesperson with the utility, Moises Cardenas, added, "78 [degrees] is that magic number where we where we do see a lot of that reliability and we see the savings coming in [and contribute to] a sustainable grid."

While the current Conserve Alert is the utility's lowest tier (green), which means conserving is voluntary, he said it was up to the customers to do their part.

"It's just making sure that our grid, you know, can can hold it. And so that we can reliably give everyone power throughout this heat wave," he said.