Could the lights go out in the Northeast?

[MsDisney23]

Due to extreme heat wave and over load on the system. I am wondering what are you doing to cut down on electric use? We are keeping our blinds closed, all ceiling fans are on the circulate, the ac is set at 76, dishwasher, washer and dryer get ran in the early hours of the morning or late at night. There is no oven being turned on during this heat. Plenty of cooking on the outside grill, sandwiches and salads. We are also keeping all the lights off through out the house.

OK, I'm over this heat and ready for a brake.

From CNN: http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/us/2010/07/09/chernoff.northeast.power.threat.cnn.html

 

[RNMOM]

We do all those things also all the time. I got my electric bill this week and it was only $195. That was with running the air conditioner all the time. We can't go below 75 and remain comfortable. Ever notice how much difference there is between houses and thermostats? I think it is impossible to compare them because of the placement of the thermostat, air circulation adn all that.

I find running the ceiling fans on low really helps a lot. As long as I can feel air moving I am pretty comfortable.

We are in NEOhio and our power went out when the grid went down all those years ago. I sure don't want that to happen again.

 

[4nana]

Yes, it could ! With all the news on the heat wave of 120*+ in some states and sadly quite a few deaths have now been attributed. I too, wonder about surviving a blackout. We keep our AC at 77*, all ceiling fans on low, curtains closed and limit oven usage. The ice/snow storm destroyed our heat pump, so we now have a much more efficient one and I'm impressed how much lower our monthly electric bill is. I feel every little bit of conserving helps. I also check on my 80yo Mom and other seniors often.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Well to keep our bills low I had been turning off the AC in the morning and turning it on just before dinner to cool down the house. I suppose I could switch it around and keep the house really cool through the morning so it doesn't need the AC in the afternoon. I could turn it off at the hottest part of the day when most people are looking to begin to cool down then turn it back on over night. Uggh, with 2 kids with Asthma a blackout would mean me finding a hotel with a generator and lots of $$$$.

 

[Kathi OD]

Due to extreme heat wave and over load on the system. I am wondering what are you doing to cut down on electric use? We are keeping our blinds closed, all ceiling fans are on the circulate, the ac is set at 76, dishwasher, washer and dryer get ran in the early hours of the morning or late at night. There is no oven being turned on during this heat. Plenty of cooking on the outside grill, sandwiches and salads. We are also keeping all the lights off through out the house.

OK, I'm over this heat and ready for a brake.

From CNN: http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/us/2010/07/09/chernoff.northeast.power.threat.cnn.html

We do the same, only our AC is set at 78. I come home every day and the house is not cool and the thermostat is usually on "recovery" mode. That means it isn't able to keep up. Guess the people who had this house built didn't get a big enough unit for these really hot days. It's 11:15, the AC is on and I'm uncomfortable. We also have ceiling fans in the bedrooms and living room. They aren't even helping!

We do all those things also all the time. I got my electric bill this week and it was only $195. That was with running the air conditioner all the time. We can't go below 75 and remain comfortable. Ever notice how much difference there is between houses and thermostats? I think it is impossible to compare them because of the placement of the thermostat, air circulation adn all that.

I wish! Our bill was $461 last month and we didn't even run the AC every day! In early July, on the hottest day in Philadelphia history, we came home to no electricity! It was out for about 12 hours...UGH! Hope the whole grid doesn't go down.

 

[bicker]

I've relayed several times before in the forums that we live near a factory that recycles its own power systems every day; one at 6:00 am and one at 6:15 am. They're very precise. I've thought that I could use these power-hits as reliable synchronization triggers, like the atomic clock websites. (Note, though, that the only reason I notice these power-hits, normally, is because I have a very sophisticated UPS/power conditioner, and it records every incident.) So if our power is going to fail, it generally is going to fail at that time, when that factory's power systems recylce, and it causes this huge drain on the grid in our area.

We had a power outage at 6:15 am yesterday morning. It was the first time all summer, whereas ten years ago we'd lose power a few times a month over the summer, and sometimes not even only at 6:15 am.

I am puzzled by our electric bills: We installed skylight shades before the summer, rated at R-7, but yet our electric bill has not gone down appreciably.

 

[scrapquitler]

I am puzzled by our electric bills: We installed skylight shades before the summer, rated at R-7, but yet our electric bill has not gone down appreciably.

But this summer has been hotter than last year, so you are still probably ahead of the game...hotter this year, you need more electricity to keep things cool. Probably if you hadn't installed those skylight shades this spring, your bill would have gone up this summer.

 

[bicker]

That's what my wife says. I hope you're both right.

 

[GeorgeG]

A blackout of the entire Northeast, while remotely possible, is not likely. Power outages due to hot weather tend to be more localized and some are even on purpose to avoid wider-spread outages.

Power companies constantly monitor the loads on every part of their systems and when a distribution circuit, substation, or transmission system is nearing maximum load they will either switch some of the load to other sources or, if there is nowhere else to put load, purposely create "rolling blackouts" or "load shed" to give the system a "breather." In some cases, these actions are mandated by higher agencies and are pre-programmed to avoid including hospitals and other critical customers. Other times, it can be done manually as needed. No power company wants to stop the meters from turning, but the priority is protecting the integrity of the entire system. That was my job for many years.

Every once in awhile, someone will not be paying atention and the automatic safeguards will take over and can create a domino effect like in the last Northeast blackout about 7-8 years ago.

 

[golfgal]

I had this whole answer typed out and then our POWER WENT OUT-seriously. Apparently a car hit a transformer....


Anyway, in our old town when energy use peaked the power company started implementing a plan for the businesses in town, first they had to turn off all overhead lights, then turn off all non-essential equipment then turn off AC.

We have an energy saver box for our home electric that I HATE. During peak use times it recycles our AC less often so it gets warmer in here then I like. I have discovered if I turn the temp way down in the morning and really cool off the house it doesn't get as bad in the afternoon otherwise it is over 80 in here in the afternoons.

I just discovered that if your power goes out your programmable thermostat rests to the heat setting .

 

[Mermaid02]

That would be one HUGE squirrel!

My dh is an electrician for the local power company- he's not worried about it. Of course if it did go out, it would be good for us, lotsa overtime!

 

[4nana]

A blackout of the entire Northeast, while remotely possible, is not likely. Power outages due to hot weather tend to be more localized and some are even on purpose to avoid wider-spread outages.

Power companies constantly monitor the loads on every part of their systems and when a distribution circuit, substation, or transmission system is nearing maximum load they will either switch some of the load to other sources or, if there is nowhere else to put load, purposely create "rolling blackouts" or "load shed" to give the system a "breather." In some cases, these actions are mandated by higher agencies and are pre-programmed to avoid including hospitals and other critical customers. Other times, it can be done manually as needed. No power company wants to stop the meters from turning, but the priority is protecting the integrity of the entire system. That was my job for many years.

Every once in awhile, someone will not be paying atention and the automatic safeguards will take over and can create a domino effect like in the last Northeast blackout about 7-8 years ago.

Thx George, it's comforting to hear it's not likely from someone who's been in the business and knows the drill . Not that a power outage is something I dwell on, but I admit this summer when I see over 100* so often, it has crossed my mind. Unfortunately it brings flash backs of the extreme, the winter we nearly got frost bite without power 5 days. We're both old scouts, so we improvised and managed, but let's just say we're spoiled and it was not a fun adventure.

I had this whole answer typed out and then our POWER WENT OUT-seriously. Apparently a car hit a transformer....

Anyway, in our old town when energy use peaked the power company started implementing a plan for the businesses in town, first they had to turn off all overhead lights, then turn off all non-essential equipment then turn off AC.

We have an energy saver box for our home electric that I HATE. During peak use times it recycles our AC less often so it gets warmer in here then I like. I have discovered if I turn the temp way down in the morning and really cool off the house it doesn't get as bad in the afternoon otherwise it is over 80 in here in the afternoons.

I just discovered that if your power goes out your programmable thermostat rests to the heat setting .

Thx for sharing your experience . Our electric company will pay $50 rebate if we change our thermostat to an energy efficient one they can control in peak periods. We considered it, but thankfully our new Trane HP is much more efficient than old one. Comparing our bills from last July/Aug, we saved $100 same period this yr, even tho we used 500 kilos more due to heat wave. Sweet, hopefully our updated fall budget payment plan will reflect a savings!! Afterall, a penny saved is a penny earned!?!?!

 

[4nana]

Sorry for double post.

 

[wvjules]

Haven't we beenin a heat-wave for about a month now? Last week was cool high 80s low 90s but other than that it has been high 90s and 100s for atleast a month. 80 actually feels cool.