No Rolling Outages Expected Wednesday In CA, Flex Alert Remains In Place

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Californians' energy conservation seems to have done the trick again as a heat wave continues to pummel the West Coast.

CA ISO, which manages the state’s power grid, announced Wednesday afternoon that no power outages were expected due to energy conservation across the state. Hours earlier, the agency moved its Flex Alert to 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, up from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. earlier this week.

The Flex Alert will continue until 9 p.m. as conditions persist.

The agency previously said conservation efforts Monday and Tuesday have allowed the state to largely avoid massive rolling blackouts, which at one point threatened to leave 3.3 million homes in the dark.

#ItsWorking! No #poweroutages anticipated for tonight. #Conservation, imported energy and wind production were key factors for avoiding emergency stages. #GoodJobCA #FlexAlert still in place until 9 pm.

— California ISO (@California_ISO) August 19, 2020

With many people now working and attending school from home, conserving energy is a taller order than usual, especially as wildfires burning in the Bay Area and much of the state have sent smoke and unhealthy air over the region forcing many to shut their windows and doors, which helps keep out smoke but can also trap heat inside.

But CA ISO said even small changes, when made statewide, can have a significant impact.

That includes avoiding running major appliances like dishwashers and washing machines during peak hours, turning off unnecessary lights and devices, keeping the blinds and drapes shut and keeping the thermostat to 78 degrees if possible.

Temperatures are expected to drop starting Thursday.

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