Californians Urged to Conserve as Temperatures Increase.

News Editors/Energy Writers

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 30, 2001

The California Independent System Operator (CAISO) and Pacific Gas and Electric Company are urging Californians to conserve energy to help the state meet its electricity demands.

With power usage trending 1,200 megawatts above forecast, a reduced supply of imports, and a total of 9,800 megawatts worth of generation off-line due to repairs and forced shutdowns, the need for conservation is necessary to prevent further power emergencies, including rotating block outages.

With the warmer weather, electricity demand goes up primarily because of increased air conditioning use. The increased demand has forced the CAISO to declare a Stage 2 emergency this afternoon.

If the CAISO were to order implementation of the rotating outage plan today, outages would begin with the customers in Block 1, and then move to Block 2. Customers in Block 1 were last affected by rotating outages on June 14, 2000.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company's Electric Emergency Plan has 14 outage blocks that each serve about 200,000 customers. In addition, customers who provide essential public health, safety, and security services -- and do not have adequate backup generation -- are exempted from outages and placed on Block 50.

In March, Pacific Gas and Electric Company launched a customer education campaign entitled "The More You Know About Conserving Energy, The Less Energy You Need," designed to make customers aware of the urgent need for energy conservation and provide tools to help consumers reduce their overall energy usage. The campaign includes rebates on a variety of consumer items, as well as use of the Internet, direct customer outreach and paid advertising.

To help the state meet its electricity demands, Pacific Gas and Electric Company is asking its customers to conserve energy both at home and in the office. Following are some ways customers can reduce electric demand immediately:

      --  Set your home or business thermostat at 78 degrees or higher
        when you're there. When you are away, set your thermostat at
        85 degrees. Clean your air conditioner filter regularly,
        inspect filters monthly. Provide shading for your air
        conditioner.

      --  Close drapes/window blinds on windows facing south or west, to
        keep your home or business cooler during the day.

      --  Avoid using major appliances until late this evening, if
        possible. If you must, do only full loads when using your
        dishwasher and clothes washer. Use the cold water setting
        whenever possible, and select the air-dry setting, rather than
        heat-dry setting on your dishwasher, if you can.

      --  Turn off PCs, monitors, printers, and copiers when not in use
        or not needed. If you can, simply turn off the power strip
        after shutting down your computer and peripherals. If you
        cannot turn off the whole computer, turn off the monitor and
        the printer.

      --  Unplug energy leaking electronic equipment. Many new
        electronic devices (TVs, VCRs, computer peripherals, etc.) use
        electricity even when turned off. If possible, unplug
        electronic devices with block-shaped transformers on the plug
        when not in use.

      --  Turn off lights in unoccupied rooms. Turn off unnecessary and
        decorative lighting around your home and office.

      --  Cook in your toaster oven, microwave or broiler oven. They use
        half the energy of a regular oven.

For more energy saving tips, please visit our website at www.pge.com/123 or contact the Smarter Energy Line at 800/933-9555.