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NEW YORK – With the first wave of 90-degree temperatures forecast to hit the region this weekend, Con Edison is urging all customers to use energy wisely during what is expected to be a period of extremely high electricity use. The company has invested more than $1.7 billion this year to upgrade and reinforce its electric delivery system to handle the high demand associated with extremely hot weather.

Customers can view a map of the company’s service area to see if there are any outages affecting their area by going to www.coned.com/sm/outageinfo.asp. They can also find safety tips and other useful information to help reduce the inconvenience of being without power if there is a service disruption by visiting Con Edison’s Storm Central Web pages at www.coned.com/sm/default.asp.

To conserve energy, the company recommends that customers take the following steps:

•  Turn off air conditioners, lights and other appliances when not at home and use a timer to turn on your air conditioner about a half-hour before arriving home;
•  Make sure air conditioner filters are clean so the machines will run at peak efficiency;
•  Set thermostats no lower than 78 degrees. Each degree lower increases cooling costs by six percent;
•  If you have a room air-conditioning unit, close off the rooms not being used; if you have central air, close or block the vents in unused or vacant rooms;
  
•  To reduce heat and moisture in your apartment or home, run appliances such as ovens, washing machines, dryers and dishwashers in the early morning or late at night when it’s generally cooler outside. Use a microwave to cook, or barbecue outside, if possible;
• Keep shades, blinds and curtains closed.  About 40 percent of unwanted heat comes through windows. Drawing blinds and curtains, which act as a layer of insulation, can reduce heat in your apartment or home.
  
• Try using fans instead of air conditioners, but be sure to leave your windows open for ventilation. Fans use as little as one-tenth the energy of air conditioners.
  

Power supplies are sufficient to meet the projected demand for electricity, and company crews are ready to respond to any service interruptions that may occur.

The company urges customers to report power interruptions or service problems online at www.coned.com, or by calling Con Edison’s toll-free customer service number 1-800-75-CON ED (1-800-752-6633). When reporting an outage, customers should have their Con Edison account number available, if possible, and report whether their neighbors also have lost power.

For more energy savings tips and general information, customers can visit the Con Edison Web site at www.coned.com or contact the company at 1-800-75-CONED. To learn more about Con Edison’s free programmable thermostat, call 1-866-521-8600 or visit www.coned.com/cool.

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