Tag: infrastructure

Read More

Power Outage!

Quite literally, as I hit the button to post about cats Firecracker and Dynamite, lights flickered and went out. That was 6:41 a.m. PDT today. Power would remain out for us and others in portions of San Diego neighborhoods Hillcrest, Normal Heights, and (here) in University Heights until 5 p.m. sharp.

The SDGE outage alert in my customer portal at first estimated utility restoration at 8 a.m., then 9 a.m., then 2 p.m., then 3 p.m., and finally 6 p.m. We prepared for an evening in darkness and possible food spoilage in the refrigerator and freezer.

Read More

Thanks for the Power

The monsoonal heatwave continues, which means daily emails announcing yet another Power Saver Rewards event between 4 p.m. and 8:59 p.m. PDT: “You can support the California energy grid, and earn $2/kWh for energy use below your typical use, too. The more energy you can save, the more you can earn”. Really?

We don’t have air conditioning, electric vehicle, or in-apartment laundry—all of which are on the curtail-usage list. We never use the dishwasher. But we do have four fans running constantly. I don’t know whether to thank the utility for magnanimously managing the electric grid or San Deigans for being good neighbors and cutting back—perhaps both.