Results tagged “electricity”

A minor car crash caused a fairly good sized power outage this morning, leaving 2,200 cusotmers without power in Westchester and Del Rey. The car hit and pulled a guide wire--the suspension wire usually seen at a 45-degree angle from the power pole to the sidewalk--causing the power to go out. Crews are on scene addressing the problem, but the LA Department of Water & Power has no estimate of when power will be restored. No one was reported to be injured in the crash.

Good news for anyone whose home was destroyed or damaged by last weekend's wildfires who also happens to be a Southern California Edison (SCE) customer: You don't have to pay your current bill. According to CalFire's blog, those customers "will not have to pay for electricity used since the last bill they received at those damaged residences," and that SCE is "offering payment arrangements for those who were indirectly affected by the fires, such as customers who lost business income." An SCE Customer Service rep expressed sympathy on behalf of the company to all those who were affected, and gave out phone numbers to help direct inquiries regarding bill forgiveness--(800) 250-7339--and payment arrangement--(800) 950-2356. Crews are still working in some areas to restore full service.

This morning at 9:15 a.m., power at 12 Metro Red and Purple Line train stations between Wilshire/Western and North Hollywood went out for 55 minutes, according to a Metro Spokesperson. No one was hurt or injured, and operations slowed down but never fully stopped. However, patrons riding in elevators at two stations, Wilshire/Normandie and Vermont/Sunset, were stuck for at least fifteen minutes before fire department crews could rescue them. While the Dept. of Water & Power reported no outages at street level, Metro later discovered the problem was within their own system dealing with alternating current. Power never halted on the rails and trains still ran, albeit at a slower speed delaying trains 13 minutes behind schedule and stations were still lit for commuters by emergency flood lights. The incident was cleared by 10:10 a.m.

Southern California Edison (SCE) announced that they've now recycled 700,000 refrigerators in the last 15 years since the beginning of their Refrigerator and Freezer Recycling Program. The program has two parts: (1) you get $50 to recycle the fridge, and (2), you get another $50 if you buy a new Energy Star qualified fridge. According to SCE's director of energy efficiency per the Power Plug blog, people spend about an extra $300 a year with older refrigerators.

Pacific Gas & Electric, a utility that most serves Northern California, may join the No on Prop 8 campaign tomorrow at a press conference. "They know exactly what they are doing here. They need some credibility with the left, especially in San Francisco," writes Brian Leubitz at Calitics. "As for other companies, I expect we'll see a few other businesses." Which businesses in Southern California will join in? Will Southern California Edison? How about Southern California Gas Company?

Time to hunker down and flex your power, so says state officials. "The California Independent System Operator (CAISO), charged with managing the electricity grid in California, has issued a Flex Alert for Tuesday, July 8th through Thursday, July 10th," an e-mail alert states. "Due to the current hot weather, electricity conservation is necessary."

SuggestionBoxLA to Metro - No Idling on Layover!

Only 102 of the 958 city buildings expected to get CFLs have installed the energy-efficient lightbulbs and City Controller Laura Chick is saying that the program is not going fast enough. So far, the city has replaced enough to save $1.5 million on the annual $27-million power bill. However, replacing the bulbs came at the price of $5 million, but costs are expected to be recovered over time with estimated savings of $6 million a year.

This map shows summer average daily temperatures for the microclimates of the City of Los Angeles and was performed by the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at UCLA. The two temperature zones were based on average temperatures less (orange) or greater (red) than 80 degrees.

Those cute and innocent helium-metallic balloons we give to kids may soon be outlawed by California legislators. Yes, that's right, the great State of California is outlawing fun. Apparently, if you want the f-word, go to Wisconsin or something.

The LA City Council today voted to postpone a vote on proposed DWP fee hikes until April 2nd.

After successfully getting into the habit of bringing my own bags to the grocery store and saving 40% on my electric bills with CFLs, it's time to revisit something that was my first step in going green: no more paper throw-aways. This has been one of the easiest, non-thinking green steps ever. So easy, I forgot I was doing it. I invested in about fifteen cloth towels and haven't bought paper napkins or towels in...

Some fresh AIR would be really great right about now. Har har har!!! I'm such a card. Now, really, how about Air at the Greek this month, courtesy of LAist: head on over to enter our Labor Day Weekend Air Contest. In the category of Thank God It Hasn't Happened to Us Yet: over twenty thousand homes and businesses have lost power this weekend. If you're on the roads tonight, please drive safely, use...

These are the last days of summer. At least that's what they say on the news and in the marketplace. But here in Southern California, it only gets hotter as the days grow shorter. (At least the pools won't close just yet). But -- Holy Dallas Raines -- early this morning, with temps stuck in the mid-70s, we've got thunder and lightning! Unfortunately, the electricity in the air has no bearing on California's energy supply,...