The heat is on and
electricity use is up
Conservation is urged as power
consumption reaches record levels
Fourteen-year-old Sunny Malabong cooled off with a cold drink under a table umbrella outside Jamba Juice on Ward Avenue yesterday with friends to escape the hot, humid weather.
"Last summer, it wasn't that hot at all. Now it's really hot," said Malabong, who has been turning on her air conditioner daily at her Kalihi home to battle the heat. "It's more sticky, hot and sweaty."
Heavy use of air conditioners and fans contributed to a record in electricity use on Oahu on Wednesday.
The high electricity use at homes and an improving economy led to a rise in electricity to 1,297 megawatts at 7:09 p.m. Wednesday. The rate is 6 megawatts higher than the record-setting 1,291 megawatts reported at 1:16 p.m. Aug. 17.
The evening peak is attributed to residents who are coming home and using their electrical appliances "more than ever" between 5 and 9 p.m., said Chuck Freedman, of Hawaiian Electric Co.
An increase in residential developments in the Ewa area, a rise in the construction industry and more visitors filling hotel rooms have also contributed greatly to high use, said Freedman. "The economy is strong."
But Freedman reminded people to conserve.
"A hot economy, hot weather and not enough power generation have caused blackouts on the mainland," he added. "An island with no connections to other electric grids, rapidly increasing peak usage, is a call for more effective energy conservation."
The temperature on Oahu reached 88 degrees yesterday as of 2 p.m., said meteorologist Vladimir Ryshko, of the National Weather Service.
"It was more humid than usual," he said.
Some lingering moisture from remnants of a former tropical cyclone coming from the eastern Pacific to the central Pacific is contributing to the humid weather, he added.
On Wednesday the temperature reached 91 degrees.
Ryshko noted that tradewinds at 15 to 20 miles an hour have since returned. "The increasing tradewinds are going to blow the humid air to the west," he said.
Meanwhile, standing fans and air conditioners were nearly sold out at Home Depot in Pearl City during the last weekend of August, according to a sales associate who noted that only 12,000-Btu (British thermal units) air conditioners are currently available. Employees have been getting at least 20 calls a day for 9,000-Btu portable air conditioners that sold out at $500 each.
Staying in power
Hawaiian Electric Co. urges the public to take these steps to conserve energy:
>> Reduce electricity use at the peak residential use times, 5 to 9 p.m. during weekdays.
>> Delay activities such as running electric clothes washers and dryers and doing laundry or running electric dishwashers until after peak hours.
>> Take shorter showers or take them later in the evening.
>> Use the cold-water wash and rinse cycle while doing the laundry.
>> Unplug "energy sneakers" such as camera battery and cellular phone chargers that use standby power when standing idle.
>> Use energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs instead of traditional incandescent bulbs.
>> Turn off air conditioners and other appliances when rooms are unoccupied. Consider running an air conditioner at a low level in one room, and use fans that use less power.
>> Consider money-saving and environmental advantages of solar water heating, which uses renewable energy and can save residents $5 to $10 a month on their electric bill. A state energy tax credit and HECO rebate can help make a solar system more affordable. Call 94-POWER for information.
>> Visit heco.com and take the "My Home Energy Check" home energy survey, which provides energy tips tailored to your household's specific energy use habits.
