Extreme Heat Causes Another 'Reduce Your Use' Day

San Diego Gas & Electric's "Reduce Your Use" program will go in effect Saturday because of the extreme heat in the forecast.

Customers can get a little money off their bill if they cut back on power usage between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Under the program, customers who cut back energy use during those peak hours receive 75 cents off their bill for every kilowatt hour saved. The utility calculates a customer's power reduction by comparing it to usage during five similar days in the past, according to Allison Zaragoza of SDG&E.

One kilowatt hour in savings is roughly equivalent to getting a couple of loads of laundry done earlier in the morning or waiting until evening, Zaragoza said.

Temperatures soared into triple-digits Friday around San Diego County, setting records across the region, and could be even higher today.

Customers can sign up at sdge.com to be alerted when the company declares "Reduce Your Use" day.

–City News Service