"The energy demand we are seeing is unprecedented, and it's only May," said David Nahai, LADWP CEO & General Manager, in a statement today, which is the second one regarding the same issue in less than thirty days. "We urge our customers to start cutting back their energy use now and to be ready for continued hot temperatures as we enter the summer months... It's incumbent upon all L.A. residents and businesses to look at ways they can save energy while making sure they do not jeopardize their health and safety."

Due to the weekend's heat wave, energy demand in Los Angeles spiked for three days straight. Monday saw a new record for May -- 5331 megawatts of power. The previous record high for May occurred on May 3, 2004, when customers used 5320 megawatts. The rest of the weekend's usage was:

• Friday: 5125 megawatts (2nd highest load for May on record)
• Saturday: 4713 megawatts (highest on record Saturday in the month of May; 4114 was used in May 2005)
• Sunday: 4690 megawatts (the highest Sunday ever on record for May; 4076 was used in May 2005)

What is a megawatt? It's a pretty huge measurement of power. Household lighbulbs are measured merely in watts. A megawatt is one million watts (or a kilowatt is one thousand watts). In Los Angeles one megawatt hour can power around 800 homes.

LAist Energy Saving Tips & Related
-- My electricity bill is now 40% lower
-- Conserve the Amount of Water a Small City Uses
-- Dear LA; You're Using Too Much Energy (April 20, 2008)