Turn Up Your Damn Thermostat California (And Other Tips To Avoid Outages)

You can be nice, like the California Independent System Operator begging people to use less energy so it doesn’t have to order rolling power outages:

“We can do this together. Please #conserve #energy now.”

Or you can invoke grumpy former Gov. Jerry Brown:

“Hey California! We can avoid a blackout, but you have to turn up your damn thermostat!

You’ve likely heard all the tips before, but here they are again. You just have to do it, California. Or I’ll send Jerry Brown over to yell at you.

• Set your air conditioning at 78 or higher. If you can turn it off and use a fan instead, even better. You can pre-cool your house to 72 in the morning hours when there is lower demand on the power system, then when you set it to 78 in the afternoon, it won’t be quite as unbearable.
• Unplug “energy vampires” -- those appliances that are sucking power from the grid even when they are not being used, like a microwave oven, and phone chargers.
• Close drapes and blinds to keep your home cooler inside. Turn off unneeded lights.
• Wait until the early morning or late evening hours to run the washing machine, dishwasher or vacuum.
• If you drive an electric car, don't charge it during those afternoon to evening hours.

• If you’re lucky enough to have a pool, do your part by turning off your pool pump.Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletters. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.