The Flex Alert was issued by the California Independent System Operator, a nonprofit corporation that operates the state’s electricity grid.
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Between 2 p.m. and 9 p.m. both today and tomorrow, state officials are asking we watch how much energy we use during this heat wave.
In the Central Valley, however, temperatures were expected to reach 107 degrees on Tuesday and Wednesday, well over the city’s 96 degree norm for this time of year, according to AccuWeather.
Consumers are urged to reduce their energy use during the late afternoon when air conditioners drive consumption to the highest point of the day, officials explained.
A ridge of high pressures building over the Western United States will push temperatures up Tuesday and Wednesday.
ISO spokesman Steven Greenlee said Tuesday’s alert is the agency’s first heat-related warning since early July 2013, when the grid manager issued alerts on back-to-back days for Northern California.
Officials explain that flex alerts call for voluntary conservation before the ISO needs to start using energy reserves to maintain reliability.
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Peak demand of 44,700 megawatts was expected around 6 p.m.
