New California energy-saving campaign seeks cutbacks during peak usage times
The Sacramento Bee, Calif. --Aug. 15
Aug. 15--With summer finally showing its sizzle, utilities and electricity experts hope to enlist Californians in a new kind of energy-saving program.
The creators of "Flex Your Power Now" want people to target their
cutbacks to just a few hours on those few days when the electric grid could come
under the greatest strain.
"We'll try not to overuse it -- it'll be when we need it the most,"
said Stephanie McCorkle, spokeswoman for the California Independent System
Operator, which runs much of the state's interconnected network of power plants
and lines.
The ISO has teamed up with utilities and state agencies to create an alert
system. The system would contact businesses and government agencies directly and
would use the media to inform residents whenever California is at risk of a
Stage 1 power emergency, when reserves could drop below 7 percent.
Sometimes the energy-saving message will go out the night before and
sometimes that morning. It will be a simple call, usually for the hours between
4 p.m. and 6 p.m. -- just turn off unneeded lights and computers, set the
thermostat to 78 degrees, and avoid using appliances like stoves or clothes
dryers.
Those small things could have enormous results.
If every household in the state set its thermostat at 78 degrees instead of
72 degrees during the hottest part of the afternoon, California would save about
2,000 megawatts, said Claudia Chandler, assistant executive director of the
state Energy Commission.
"That's immense. That's Diablo Canyon" -- one of the state's giant
nuclear power plants, she said.
The hope is that if Californians step up at those critical times, their
efforts could ease the burden on the grid to give it greater flexibility if
power plants are suddenly lost to a breakdown, or transmission lines are
hampered by fires.
The Energy Commission already knows that conservation works. It estimates
that during the energy crisis of 2001, people saved up to 5,500 megawatts in a
frantic push to avoid rotating blackouts.
Now, though, some of that conservation effort has fallen off, but no one is
advocating that California go back to the same emergency mentality. The state's
power supply system is in better shape today than during the crisis, although
there are some worries about the future, experts say.
That's why, while using less power at peak demand times is still important,
the focus has now shifted to fine-tuning and targeting people's conservation
instincts.
So far, the special conservation call has gone out four times this summer.
The first was on July 26, and the most recent was Wednesday, McCorkle said.
There's no easy way yet to track how effective it has been, but a panel is at
work on developing ways to measure the program's impact, said Christy Dennis of
Pacific Gas and Electric Co.
PG&E and Southern California Edison are devoting roughly $4 million to
promoting the "Flex Your Power Now" drive, said Wally McGuire, the
consultant coordinating the campaign.
That's dwarfed by the $65 million the state and utilities spent during the
energy crisis on an earlier, far more intensive campaign, which McGuire said
saved the state as much as $600 million when wholesale electricity prices
soared.
McGuire plans to use radio ads, starting this week, to spread the word about
the program, and PG&E, Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric Co. and the ISO
are coordinating their public information efforts.
They hope that in time, "Flex Your Power Now" days will become as
well known as "Spare the Air" days, which air officials use to urge
people to drive less and to be cautious with outdoor activities when air quality
is poor.
The Sacramento Municipal Utility District is evaluating whether to join the
latest conservation effort, but meanwhile will continue to promote its own
energy-saving programs, which also encourage people to reduce consumption on hot
days.
"Conservation is always important," said Jim Shetler, SMUD
assistant general manager. "That always helps us have a little more margin
for the unknowns."
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