SoCal residents asked to conserve power during heat wave

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Local utility crews are out in force amid Tuesday's record-setting Southern California heat wave, prepared for the power outages that often accompany these conditions.

State officials have declared a Flex Alert for Tuesday and Wednesday, meaning Southern Californians are asked to conserve power during the hours of 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. That's when most people get home from work and flip on their air conditioners and other appliances.

Among their tips and requests: Set the thermostat no lower than 78 degrees. Turn off unused appliances and equipment. Use electric fans instead of air-conditioning when possible. Close drapes and curtains to keep out the hot sun. And, of course, turn off lights when not in use.

And of course, drivers are reminded as always to not leave children or pets in hot cars for any period of time.

So far the number of outages for Southern California Edison and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power have been low, but crews are out repairing and monitoring areas that have experienced problems in past heat waves.

"We have crews on standby that will continue through the end of this week providing the level of restoration when needed," said SCE spokesman Steve Conroy.