PEPCO Says Use Less Electricty

It's hot - for Washington, DC, very hot - a few days of record setting and close to record setting temperatures. Blazing sun, no rain in sight. Imagine DC as a city of roof top solar and the place would be humming. And if residents owned their roof top solar, money would be "staying at home" rather than being redistributed to increasingly multinational energy services corporations. Instead, the following PEPCO email was in the in box to remind us that the infrastructure has it's limits:

PEPCO News Release

Posted by: "Cook, Sybongile (DOES)" sybongile.cook@dc.gov

Wed Jul 7, 2010 12:47 pm (PDT)

WASHINGTON “ Pepco today requested the public to conserve electricity. The call for conservation was prompted by the intense heat wave.

The request is being made throughout Pepco's service territory.

Demand for electricity is expected to increase as the excessive heat and humidity continue. The electric utility asks customers to conserve electricity, if health permits, especially between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Electricity customers can take simple conservation steps:

Close curtains and blinds to keep out the sun and retain cooler air inside.
Postpone using major electric household appliances such as stoves, dishwashers and clothes dryers until the cooler evening hours.
If health permits, set air conditioner thermostats higher than usual.
Turn off electric appliances and equipment that you do not need or are not using.

Conserving electricity will help ensure adequate power supplies. Pepco continues to carefully monitor power supply conditions. It will do everything possible to keep power flowing in the region. If necessary the utility may take additional steps, such as reducing voltage.

Sent by Ladona Williams to DC ESF # 12 DOE, Georgetown Alert Managers, Hazard:Severe Weather, Hazards-Utility Outages, OperationCenters, Public Safety, Ward 1 Groups, Ward 2 Groups, Ward 3 Groups, Ward 4 Groups, Ward 5 Groups, Ward 6 Groups, Ward 7 Groups, Ward 8 Groups, WASA, WMATA (Metro) (e-mail accounts)