Electric and Water Utilities Issue Warning to Reduce Usage

Con Edison and United Water have both issued warnings to Rye City customers to reduce usage:

UNITED WATER CUSTOMERS ARE URGED TO CONSERVE WATER DURING THE CURRENT HEAT WAVE AND REFRAIN FROM ALL OUTDOOR WATER USAGE FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. AS A RESULT OF THE CURRENT HOT, DRY WEATHER PATTERN, WE ARE EXPERIENCING UNUSUALLY HIGH DEMAND LEVELS. ALL LAWN IRRIGATION SYSTEMS SHOULD BE SHUT OFF DURING THIS TIME, AS OUTDOOR WATERING CAN INCREASE SYSTEM DEMANDS BY AS MUCH AS 50%.

CON EDISON CONTINUES TO URGE CONSERVATION
AS HEAT WAVE BAKES NEW YORK

NEW YORK – Con Edison said today that peak use of electricity reached a new high for 2011 and reminded customers to continue conserving energy as the brutal heat socks the New York area.

The company reported that overall customer electric usage peaked at 12,710 megawatts (MW) at 6 p.m. Before today, the high for this year was 12,589 MW at 5 p.m. on June 9. The all-time peak record in the company’s New York City and Westchester County service area is 13,141 MW, set at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, August 2, 2006.

Despite the high demand, Con Edison crews continued to deliver power reliably to more than 3.2 million customers while responding to scattered outages in the intense heat.

The company has crews and support personnel ready to respond to any electrical outages caused by the hot and humid conditions that are expected to continue through the weekend.

Con Edison reminds customers to report power interruptions or service problems online at www.conEd.com, and on their cell phones and PDAs. They also may call 1-800-75-CONED promptly if they are experiencing any service difficulties.

Customers can save energy and money by taking simple steps, including:

· Making sure air conditioner filters are clean for peak efficiency.

· Setting thermostats no lower than 78 degrees. Each degree lower increases cooling costs by 6 percent.

· Closing off the rooms not being used if you have a room air-conditioner. If you have central air, block the vents in unused or vacant rooms.

· Turning off lights and other appliances, using a timer to turn them on as necessary.

· Running appliances such as ovens, washing machines, dryers, and dishwashers in the early morning or late at night when it’s generally cooler. Another alternative: Using a microwave to cook, or a barbecue outside, if possible.

· CLOSING THE DOOR. Don’t let your air conditioning fly out the door. Storeowners who leave doors open with the A/C running could be subject to fines from the city.

· Taking Con Edison’s offer of a free programmable thermostat if you have central air conditioning. Program the thermostat manually or from the Internet. Turning off your air conditioner when you’re not there beats leaving it on all the time. Programming it to turn on before you return is a wise way to save on summer electric bills. To learn more about Con Edison’s free programmable thermostat, call 1-866-521-8600 or visit www.conEd.com/cool.