Con Ed appeals to customers in N.Y. power outage

MarketWatch.com ^ | 7-20-08 | Michael Kitchen

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Utility asks Brooklyn residents to avoid air-conditioning use despite heat wave

Consolidated Edison Inc. urged thousands of customers to stop all non-essential electricity use as parts of Brooklyn, N.Y., suffered a power outage Sunday in the midst of heat wave.

Con Ed said the outage had affected about 2,100 customers but that it had restored power to approximately 600 of those as of 11 a.m. Eastern time. As a result, it issued an appeal to those in the New York City borough's Sunset Park, Bay Ridge, Borough Park, and Park Slope neighborhoods "to discontinue their use of non-essential electrical appliances, including air-conditioning, until problems on electrical power lines serving the area can be resolved."

It added that it had reduced voltage to the area -- which contains about 89,000 customers -- by 8%.

The request to stop air-conditioning and other electrical use came as the city was forecast to see highs of 94 degrees Fahrenheit, according to AccuWeather. Con Ed said it had sent crews to two locations in the affected districts to distribute dry ice.

[Man50D]

As a result, it issued an appeal to those in the New York City borough's Sunset Park, Bay Ridge, Borough Park, and Park Slope neighborhoods "to discontinue their use of non-essential electrical appliances, including air-conditioning,

Tell the elderly air conditioning is non essential. It doesn't make sense to ask people not to use air conditioning at the time they need it most and was invented for this very type of weather.

[brityank]

Con Ed said it had sent crews to two locations in the affected districts to distribute dry ice.

I wonder if any of those old folks will get suffocated using the dry ice in their locked-up apartments trying to cool them down?

[Jeff Chandler]

How many of those suffering vote straight party line for politicians opposed to energy production?

[kms61]

It hits 94 and NY swelters in a heat wave. In my neck of the woods, that would be slightly below average for late July.. Nobody’s dying of heatstroke around here. In fact, I rarely use my AC. Open windows and a couple of ceiling fans do just fine.

[Gay State Conservative]

There was a story just the other day somewhere in Massachusetts (can't recall where) about a teenage kid who was dependent on a respirator who died as a result of a two hour power outage at something like 4AM.I guess the backup system for his respirator failed and he suffocated as a result.

Another example of non-essential power use I'd say.

[donna]

Let New York City lead the way, LOL:

Gore challenged the nation to find a way, within 10 years, to produce all electric power from renewable sources.

“The survival of the United States of America as we know it is at risk,” Gore said. “The answer is to end our reliance on carbon-based fuels.”

[Clemenza]

Nice, but when you live in a pre-war end unit with ZERO cross ventilation, opening a window does nothing.

Don't forget the high level of humidity and smog.

[RoadGumby]

That is the ONLY choice the utility has. There is only so much capacity (THANK YOU DEMS!!!!) and if you start tripping plants, the entire grid goes down and nothing works. Lowering voltage or ‘brown-outs’ works to keep the grid up when demand out-strips supply.

[John W]

Maybe Mayor Know-It-All can figure it out. No, he is too busy on those vitally important issues like trans-fat and smoking. And, its this way everywhere. Smokescreen issues because they either refuse to or are too dumb to solve the real problems.

[papasmurf]

You’re right. When I lived there my GF’s apartment only had two windows and they were on one wall. Opening them did do something though...it let in the smell, smog, and noise! LOL

BTW, I just read Bloomberg’s solution...raise taxes. Where have the creative Americans gone???

[MarineMom613]

Friday evening, going into the weekend heat wave, Con Edison stated they were doing just fine and did not expect any problems whatsoever. When I heard that I laughed and figured I would just wait and voila!!!
Con Ed Sucks. 22% INCREASE goes into effect next month.

[Chode]

i use less electricity in the summer than i do in winter...

[Chode]

Mom, if i may ask, what are you paying a KWh??? i pay ~$.13KWh through NYSEG yet three miles down in the valley they pay $.09KWh(through a deal cut years ago to get reduced power cost for giving up their own power generating capacity) up from the $.03KWh all through the 80's/90's.

[AlaskaErik]

I just wish we would have a heat wave here. It's been a really cold summer for us. Most days it only gets into the 50’s. I would love to see a 70 degree day again. Global warming, my ass.

[Rome2000]

Ain’t Socialism wonderful?

[berdie]

Not sure where you live. But I have the same situation. However, we should count ourselves as being very blessed.

In an urban area, the concrete holds the heat in and escalates it. When I drive from home to the nearest city, the higher temperature becomes evident, the closer I get.Even if these city dwellers could open a window, it would be very dangerous (criminals). A ceiling fan is only valuable if you can circulate the air.

Like I said, we are blessed.

[MarineMom613]

Sorry I didnt reply sooner, been hopping around. I will check it out and let you know. Keep in mind I’m in the Bronx.