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WPCNR THE POWER NEWS AND COMMENT  By John F. Bailey. July 20, 2013:

Just a few years ago, if the metro area and Westchester County had been hit with a week of 90 to 100 degree heat and humidity like we have this week, the area would have experienced blackouts, brownouts, and downright no power in many areas. County officials, city officials would have been screaming about investigating Con Edison’s incompetance.

But, this week, Con Edison service in keeping the power on is an example of company that did not cut corners, spent Billions in beefing up their infrastructure and has delivered this week to keep the area reasonably sane in the hottest week of all time in this area. I have lived here all my life.

I can tell you this is the hottest week I have ever experienced in Westchester County. It is glorious summer weather though.

So before the officials get on Con Ed the next time a storm comes through. The finger-pointers should hold some press conferences and salute the men and women of Con Edison, and the management for corporate heroism this week. They were ready. They were prepared. They did and continue to do the job.

My admiration.

According to a Con Ed report Friday afternoon:

Today’s (Friday) brutal heat and humidity led to all-time peak electric usage records in New York City and Westchester County, topping out at 13,322 Megawatts (MW) at 5 p.m. Before today, the all-time peak record was 13,189 MW set on July 22, 2011. That mark was first broken at 2 p.m. today, and usage grew through the afternoon.

Con Edison continues to urge customers to conserve energy as best as possible. Demand response programs, which pay large customers to cut back on power usage during heat waves, were helping to reduce electric demand by approximately 400 MW. The company also said energy efficiency programs implemented by businesses and homes helped conserve electricity.

At the same time, hundreds of dedicated Con Edison field crews have worked through the scorching temperatures to restore customers impacted by scattered power outages.

Con Edison reminds customers to use these energy and money-saving tips:

• Install a timer or clock thermostat on your air conditioner so you can program it to operate and shut-off at a pre-determined time.
• If you have a room air-conditioning unit, close off the rooms not being used; if you have central air, block off the vents for un-used rooms.
• Plan cooking, baking or other household activities that produce heat and humidity for the cooler times of the day and night.
• Use a portable or ceiling fan to circulate the pre-cooled air in your air-conditioned home. A fan uses about 90 percent less energy than an air conditioner.
• In very humid weather, adjust your air conditioner’s fan to a low setting. It’ll take longer for the air conditioner to cool your home, but your unit will bring in steamy air at a slower rate and make you feel more comfortable.
• Pull your curtains and shades on windows to block out the heat.

Customers can report outages and check service restoration status at www.conEd.com or by calling 1-800-75-CONED (1-800-752-6633).  When reporting an outage, customers should have their Con Edison account number available, if possible, and report whether their neighbors also have lost power.

Customers who report outages will be called by Con Edison with their estimated restoration times as they become available.

Also, download our new free iPhone and Android app, My conEdison, to report and check the status of a power problem, and view our interactive online outage map.