NEWARK, N.J., July 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Public Service Electric
and Gas (PSE&G), New Jersey's
largest utility, and PJM Interconnection, the electric grid
operator for 13 states and the District
of Columbia, are asking consumers to conserve electricity
today while the region continues in the grip of a stifling heat
wave.
According to PJM, demand for electricity is expected to increase
as the excessive heat and humidity continue. PSE&G and
PJM are taking precautionary measures to ensure the reliability of
the transmission system and adequate power supplies.
Customers are asked to conserve electricity, if health permits,
especially between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
when demand typically peaks. Yesterday, PSE&G's preliminary
peak demand for electricity, set at 5
p.m., was 10,804 megawatts, which is the highest so far this
summer but still shy of the all-time peak demand of 11,108
megawatts set on August 2, 2006.
PSE&G will begin air conditioning cycling this afternoon.
About 100,000 residential and small-business customers have signed
up for this program, which allows the utility to regulate central
air conditioners via a small device on each unit. When PJM issues
its request to conserve, a microwave signal instructs each air
conditioner to cycle off more often. For example, an AC unit that
was running for 40 minutes an hour may drop to 20 minutes. The
utility can shed as much as 65 megawatts of power – the amount of
energy consumed by about 52,000 homes.
PSE&G offers the following conservation tips:
- Turn off everything you're not using; lights, TVs, computers,
etc. Use dimmers, timers and motion detectors on indoor and outdoor
lighting.
- Close blinds, shades and draperies facing the sun to keep the
sun's heat out and help fans and air conditioners cool more
efficiently.
- Close doors leading to uncooled parts of your home. With
central air, close off vents to unused rooms.
- Delay heat-producing tasks such as washing and drying laundry
or dishes until later in the day, and wait until load is full.
- Refrain from using nonessential appliances. Unplug or use only
when necessary an extra refrigerator in your garage. Also,
customers should consider setting their air conditioners to 78
degrees, health permitting.
To report a power outage, call PSE&G's Customer Service
line: 1-800-436-PSEG. You can also report an outage online by
logging into My Account at pseg.com.
During this extreme weather, follow us on Twitter at
http://twitter.com/psegoutageinfo for ongoing information.
Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) is
New Jersey's oldest and largest
regulated gas and electric delivery utility, serving nearly
three-quarters of the state's population. PSE&G recently
received the ReliabilityOne Award for superior electric system
reliability in the Mid-Atlantic Region. PSE&G is a subsidiary
of Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (PSEG) (NYSE: PEG),
a diversified energy company (www.pseg.com).
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SOURCE Public Service Electric & Gas Company (PSE&G)