PG&E rolling power outages are possible through California after Wednesday ISO issues Flex Alert to save energy, officials say

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) – As the statewide main wave continues, says Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), the California Grid Operator will likely target them to begin rotating power outages starting Sunday night. Customers should be prepared for rolling blackouts Wednesday night.

PG&E says the rolling blackouts expected on Sunday night will affect about 210,000 customers in parts of San Francisco, San Mateo and Contra Costa Counties. No customers should be affected overnight and delays are estimated to last one to two hours.

The California Independent System Operator (CAISO) issued a flex warning on Sunday, urging people to save electricity every day from 3pm to 10pm, when temperatures remain high and solar production fails due to the sun setting.

Cal ISO said the record-breaking heat is causing a strain on supplies.

VIDEO: What’s in Flex Alert?

ABC7 News spoke this afternoon with PG&E to get a better explanation on how the blackouts would work.

“This is really a statewide issue, it’s not just a Bay Area issue or a PG&E issue because it’s running blocks, so it’s like 200,000 to 250,000 customers at a time, but depending on how long the supply and demand challenge demand is there are multiple groups from 200,000 to 250,000 so one group will be out an hour and then another group will be an hour, an hour and a half out, most of these outages will be relatively short, “said PG&E spokesman Jeff Smith.

PG&E says the decision is further on Cal ISO and in some cases the utility is only given a few minutes to cut power.

RELATED: Extreme heatwave hits Bay Area after being hit by rolling blackouts amid record-breaking temps

PG&E strongly encourages all customers to save energy in the middle of hot weather and offers these tips:

• Raise the thermostat: cool houses and use air conditioners more in the morning. Set the thermostat to 78 degrees when you are at home for the rest of the day, allow health. Turn it up to 85 degrees or turn it off when you are not at home.
• Use a ceiling fan: Switch on a ceiling fan when using the air conditioner, which allows the thermostat to be raised by about 4 degrees to save on cooling costs without reducing comfort. Turn off fans and lights when leaving the room.
• Lid windows: Use shade cover and shielding so that the air conditioner does not have to work so hard to cool the house.
• Avoid using the oven: Cook instead on the stove, use a microwave or grill outside.
• Limit the opening of refrigerators, which are major users of electricity in most homes. The average refrigerator is opened 33 times a day.
• Clean clothes and dishes early: Use large energy-consuming appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers earlier in the day or late at night after 10am.

Click here for the latest on PG&E outages across the Bay Area.

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