Last night around 9:00pm the power on my street went down. Just one side of the street, no streetlights, just dark houses. The chatter of the TVs and air-conditioner hums were silenced. But not for long. Before I could dig around for the flashlights and candles (I had to search my way around my apartment with the little light from my cell phone) the power came back on. But not at full power. Just eerily dim like some grid monkey had his hand on a giant lever and thought, "I'll give 'em just a little juice to start with and see how things hold." The lights flickered from dim to full in my apartment and my neighbors' until 10:00 when the power went out again. This time I ran for sanctuary in a glass of Pinot at Cliff's Edge. A couple hours later I came home to the AC and TV buzzing again. Everything seems to be working as normal now.

Today I got on the phone with LA DWP. They're a private run company - mind you, not part of the city. They've got a lot of helpful energy saving tips on their website and sponsor some good Green LA programs. I was immediately directed to an automated menu and chose to report a power outage. After more menu choices I was led to an operator who requested my information - account #, phone #, zip code and then was able to explain LA's policy of "Brown-outs". What in fact had happened last night was so minor it hadn't even registered on the the power grid as a failure. Power has to be out for over an hour to register as a Black-Out. She told me often in the summertime when everyone's running their AC units the power system makes adjustments and re-sets itself. The dim lights and the flickering would indicate a Brown-Out where the grid conserves energy in some areas to provide energy to others.

So now the question stands.... it's obviously un-environmentally sound to have so much power running nightly. The dimming and flickering lights points to an indication of grid drain. The nights are not getting cooler. I'm not missing another episode of Top Chef. What can I do?

I went to Treehugger.com. They provide tips for Green living. To conserve electricity they suggest putting your house on a diet. Do an energy self audit. Treehugger tells you briefly how to do one or our very own LA DWP walks you through it on their site. After an energy audit, like a weigh in before you hire the personal trainer, you can buy some compact fluorescent bulbs. They don't suck up as much energy. There are some super cheap and super nice ones at IKEA right now. Warning: They function a little differently than regular light bulbs. Their wattage is dimmer and there will be a slight delay, like old school fluorescent bulbs, but without that horrible green color and buzzing noise that makes you feel like you work in the office from Joe Vs. The Volcano.

You probably knew that already. But I don't think most of us know that our basic wall-socket items pull energy even when turned off. The rule is if they're plugged in, they're plugged in to the grid, especially electronic items in stand-by (like a Tivo box). Power strips are a good tip. You simply plug all your daily appliances into one and then switch it off when not in use, like when you go to bed. Some genius made Smart Power Strips that go down automatically when the items plugged in to them go idle.

The power bill savings is their big seller. Those of us that live in little apartments don't feel a huge electric bill during LA's harsher months so it's not really an incentive. I often hear renters say they don't care about leaving their lights on when they leave the house because the bills are covered by their landlord. LA probably will have to go back to rolling blackouts if we don't do something. Right now it's inconvenient, but anyone can tell you who lived in the valley two years ago how fun it was to run from supermarket to supermarket to find out who's power had gone down and who's food had gone bad when the rolling Black-Outs were mandatory. I will say that it's usually the little inconveniences that indicate a bigger problem, or a problem on the horizon. Brown-Outs here and there today, utter power failures tomorrow. I better get some more candles.

Today I also joined the Flex Your Power Flex Alert Notification Network. Flex Alert is not a private company but statewide campaign initiated in 2001. Flex Alerts were started in 2004 to alert homes and businesses when their areas were in a Stage 1 Electrical Emergency. A Stage 1 Emergency is simply defined as times when energy needs reach their peaks - typically hot summer days. So all you gotta do is sign up and alerts get emailed or texted to your cell phone when the alert is on. Then you follow 3 simple steps.


I see the goal as using these steps whenever possible. To join the network, you just spread the word to your business. I'm pledging to do the same to my neighbors and friends. When the heat gets to be too much and you can't bear to turn down your AC, then take a walk with me. We'll grab a glass of wine. Then wait for the day when the power comes back on.


Check out how much power California is using this very moment at the CA ISO Status Monitor.

Labels: environmental, local