Power restored in parts of LA as heat drives up electricity demand

Service was restored Wednesday morning to a swath of homes and businesses in South Los Angeles on Wednesday as electricity demand remains high during a lingering heat wave that has brought extreme heat temperatures to the area and a call for energy conservation.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power reported that Wednesday’s outage ended about 3:20 a.m. Wednesday, but it was unclear how many customers were affected.

There were no other major outages in the city in the pre-dawn hours Wednesday, but forecasts again called for temperatures in the mid-90s and the LADWP and other electrical service providers offered tips to help reduce strain on the power system during peak demand periods, including:

  • Adjusting air conditioning thermostats to 78 degrees to manage energy usage during the hottest hours of the day when systems have to work hardest to cool;
  • Avoid using washing machines, dishwashers, vacuum cleaners and other heavy appliances;
  • Avoid using stoves or ovens;
  • Close window curtains, shades or blinds during the heat of the day;
  • Turn off lights and other electrical equipment when they are not in use because cell phone chargers, microwave ovens and other appliances use energy even when not in use; and
  • Visit a cooling center, some of which accept pets.

A list of cooling centers in Los Angeles is available at https://emergency.lacity.gov/heat…

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