Con Ed Throttles Power As City Extends Heat Advisory

Con Edison is reducing voltage by 5 percent in Brooklyn and Queens neighborhoods including Sheepshead Bay, Marine Park, Gerritsen Beach, Midwood, Flatbush, and East Flatbush, as the National Weather Service extends the ongoing heat advisory for all of New York City until tomorrow evening.

The power is restricted due to problems with electric equipment, the company said in a press release.

The voltage reductions were done as a precaution to protect equipment and maintain service as crews work to repair the problems. Con Edison has asked customers in these areas not to use appliances such as washers, dryers, air conditioners and other energy-intensive equipment, and to turn off lights and televisions when not needed until the equipment problems are resolved.

Customers can report power interruptions or service problems, view service restoration information and the outage map online at www.conEd.com, as well as on their mobile devices. They also may call 1-800-75-CONED (1-800-752-6633) promptly if they are experiencing any service difficulties. 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.

The news from Con Edison comes as the heat advisory has been extended from 8:00 p.m. tonight to 7:00 p.m. tomorrow. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has issued an Air Quality Health Advisory until 11:00 p.m. tonight, a sign that asthmatics and those with respiratory problems should stay indoors and avoid strenuous work. Cooling centers remain open throughout the heat wave. For locations and hours, visit www.bit.ly/NYCHeatAQI or call 311.

Con Edison, in the meantime, is giving the following tips to stay cool and conserve energy:

• Making sure air conditioner filters are clean for peak efficiency;
• Setting thermostats no lower than 78 degrees.  Each degree lower increases cooling costs by 6 percent;
• Closing off the rooms not being used if you have a room air conditioner; if you have central air, block the vents in unused or vacant rooms;
• Turning off lights and other appliances, using a timer to turn them on as necessary;
• Running appliances such as ovens, washing machines, dryers, and dishwashers in the early morning or late at night when it’s generally cooler. Another alternative: using a microwave to cook, or a barbecue outside, if possible.
• Accepting Con Edison’s offer of a free programmable thermostat if you have central air conditioning.  Program the thermostat manually or from the Internet. Turning off your air conditioner when you’re not there beats leaving it on all the time, and programming it instead to turn on before you return is a wise way to save on summer electric bills. To learn more about Con Edison’s free programmable thermostat, call 1-866-521-8600 or visit www.conEd.com/cool.

Other locations affected by Con Edison’s power reduction are: Douglaston Manor, Douglaston, Little Neck, Bayside, Bay Terrace, Auburndale, College Point, Beechurst, Whitestone, Linden Hill, Murray Hill, Queensborough Hill, Broad Channel, South Ozone Park, Howard Beach, Lindenwood, Ozone Park, Richmond Hill, Woodhaven Kew Gardens, East New York, Cypress Hills, Highland Park, City Line, Starrett City, Glen Oaks, Floral Park, Bellerose, Queens Village, Bellaire, Holliswood, Hollis, St. Albans, Cambria Heights, Laurelton, Springfield Gardens, Jamaica, South Jamaica, Jamaica Hills, Glendale, Forest Hills, Forest Hills Gardens, and Middle Village.