Just As I Thought

It’s not the heat, it’s the air conditioning

Wow, it was hot here today. Temps hit 102° here in San Jose, and while people around me are puzzled about the unusual heat, I’m still a bit bemused because the humidity is so low. In fact, one newspaper article was abuzz about the “high humidity” at 54%, a figure that made me laugh. I’m used to summers where we routinely have 97° days with 99% humidity, so this is nothing.
Still, I stayed indoors mostly with the air conditioner set to 81° and fans placed strategically — but my electric meter was spinning like crazy and the shock of last month’s high bill led me to set the thermostat at 85° instead. It turns out that I was just in time, because California is now under a “stage one power emergency.” The total usage of electricity in this heat-addled state is rising past the reserve margins, and one power plant failed, making the situation worse. So, I’ve got things turned off, unplugged the wine cooler, and now the only thing running is the webserver, refrigerator, 3 fans, and the various little power vampires around the house — the cable box and the other little things with lights.
No rolling blackouts yet, but tomorrow is due to be even hotter than today.
Interestingly, the California Independent System Operator — the organization that manages the power grid — has a system where they turn off power by blocks, and your block is listed on your bill. There is one block, #50, which is not turned off because it is designated for “essential services, such as larger hospitals that meet certain criteria, fire departments, police stations, and other vital government functions”.
Surprise! I’m in block 50! I guess this blog is designated as an essential service. Still, it’s on battery backup anyway, so you won’t miss a moment of the fun.

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