Glendale Water & Power resumes energy savings alerts to residents
Glendale Water & Power announced Wednesday they will resume their Peak Day alerts program to advise residents how to stay cool and save energy.
The recent heat wave has forced residents to turn their air conditioners and fans on higher settings, resulting in a spike in electricity usage, according to the utility, which will provide residents with energy-saving tips.
The Peak Day alerts are to help the electric grid’s strain when distributing power. The alerts will conclude on Sept. 28.
“Peak Day Alerts play a significant role in communicating the importance of conservation and engaging our customers to take action in extremely high-temperature situations,” Steve Zurn, general manager of Glendale Water & Power, said in a prepared statement. “Our customers respond very well to these alerts, and help us reduce the strain on our electrical grid.”
The alerts ask residents to practice energy-saving strategies such as postponing their use of major appliances like dishwashers and washing machines until after 9 p.m., turning off all unnecessary lights and electronic appliances, and adjusting air conditioner temperatures to 78 degrees or higher.
The Peak Day alerts are part of a behavioral demand response program allowing the city to contact customers via email or phone calls to landlines. The department’s resource planning administrator and his team assess when it’s necessary to send a Peak Day alert.
Alerts are sent a day in advance of when the department wants energy conservation. A maximum of five alerts will be sent during the summer, Atineh Haroutunian, Glendale Water & Power’s public benefits marketing manager, explained in an email.
The department issues peak alerts based on high temperatures over an extended period of time, extremely hot days and if the agency has sufficient power to meet customer demand, according to Haroutunian.
The day after the Peak Day alerts are issued, customers receive summarized reports describing how much energy they saved.
“Our customers also become more aware of their energy use and start to change habits which help them save money and conserve energy,” Zurn stated.
For more energy saving tips, customers can visit the Energy and Conservation Information section on the city’s website, glendaleca.gov.
michael.livingston@latimes.com
