Crews Ready for Heat Wave

Summer is in full swing, meaning relief from extended heat is hard to find.

The National Weather Service has issued excessive heat watches and warnings for the next several days, covering much of Southern California Edison's service area, where temperatures could reach as high as 115 degrees.

Along with high heat, strong winds coupled with very dry conditions will lead to a period of elevated wildfire weather concerns this week. That could mean Public Safety Power Shutoffs may be necessary in areas. Customers are encouraged to be proactive by clearing any brush from around their home.

"We have a team of meteorologists monitoring conditions and we coordinate closely with field operations to have resources ready to respond should outages occur," said Thomas Jacobus, SCE's principal manager of Business Resiliency. "In a fire or other emergency, our Incident Management Teams will be on alert as well."

Increased stress on the grid from high heat and warmer-than-usual nighttime temperatures may lead to power outages.

Crews have been sufficiently staffed and are ready to respond to heat-related outages. Should that happen, a team will be sent to assess the situation and restore power as quickly and safely as possible.

Over the last several years, SCE has increased its battery storage capacity, helping ease electricity demand in the late afternoon and early evening hours. Battery storage is a flexible resource that can be used to capture solar energy during the day and distribute it as the sun sets and energy use remains high.

Since 2020, SCE has added 3 gigawatts of energy storage, which can power about 2.25 million homes for four hours. Still, several consecutive days of high heat, along with warmer-than-usual nighttime temperatures, can lead to power outages because electric equipment is unable to cool sufficiently between periods of heavy use.

Conserving energy during the hottest periods of the day in the afternoon and early evening hours will help ease the strain, saving energy and money on your next bill.

SCE reminds customers to stay cool, safe and help save energy where possible.

Tips to save energy and stay cool:

• Visit a cooling center near you.
• Sign up for SCE's Smart Energy program, which adjusts smart thermostats.
• Set your thermostat to 78 degrees when you are home and to 85 degrees or "off" when you are away.
• Businesses should shift power-intensive work to the morning or late-evening hours, when possible.
• Give your air conditioner a rest when you can and cool your home with open windows and fans.
• Shut off lights when leaving a room.
• Close your blinds to keep out the afternoon heat.
• Limit the opening and reopening of refrigerators, which are major electricity users in many homes.
• Plug home electronics into power strips and turn off power strips when equipment is not in use.
• Unplug electronic devices and chargers when they are not in use.
• Give your dryer a break and hang dry your clothes.
• Cook with a grill outside or microwave to keep your home cooler.
• Set pool pumps to run in the early morning or late at night.

For more information on current outages in SCE's service area, visit sce.com/outage.