POWER SURGE WITH HEAT COMES HIGHER ELECTRICITY DEMAND -- AND GREATER CHANCE OF STATE EMERGENCY.

Byline: HARRISON SHEPPARD Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO -- Five years after a massive energy crisis roiled California, the state has added capacity to power nearly 6 million more households -- but it's still barely enough.

With soaring temperatures baking California this month, the state is struggling to meet record demand for electricity and is once again on the verge of a first-stage power emergency.

While the situation is far better than the rolling blackouts that rocked the state in 2000-01, California utilities and state officials remain concerned by the increasing demand driven not only by population growth, but lifestyle changes and booming development in warmer inland regions.

``We are seeing new increases in demand on a daily basis -- not only when we have heat waves that spike an increase in air conditioning,'' said Kim Hughes, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

``We're seeing population increases. There's construction that's been going on, like the conversions in downtown L.A. Certainly more people are adding equipment and devices to their homes that require electricity.''

The state set a record this week for peak power demand, surpassing 46,500 megawatts. In July 2001, peak demand was in the 32,000-to-35,000 range, according to the California Independent System Operator, which manages most of the state's power grid.

The DWP, which is independent of the ISO, is also experiencing near-record levels of demand, but well within its capacity.

The DWP has weathered previous energy crises without significant shortages and has been able to supply excess power to other utilities when necessary. Officials said the decision to sell surplus power is made on a daily basis, depending on demand.

Peak demand for DWP power has hit the 5,600-megawatt range this week, well below the utility's 7,200-megawatt capacity, officials said.

Energy experts cite multiple reasons for the increased demand for power during peak hours:

Publicity and urgency for power conservation is less now than it was during the crisis, so some people have gone back to their less-than-thrifty ways.

The economy is improving and development is booming in the Inland Empire and the Central Valley -- regions that are hotter than the coastal areas where the state's population was traditionally concentrated, and therefore more in need of power-hungry air conditioning.

A trend toward bigger homes with higher ceilings is driving the need for more air conditioning.

Households are adding a growing number of electronic devices, from second DVD players and entertainment centers to TiVos and BlackBerry chargers -- all of which draw power even when not directly in use.

The California ISO says the state has seen demand for energy grow at about 1,000 to 1,200 megawatts per year.

``We're keeping pace, but just barely,'' said ISO spokesman Gregg Fishman.

One indicator of the change in consumer power usage can be measured through the very definition of a megawatt.

During the height of the energy crisis, Southern California Edison defined a megawatt as enough power to supply 750 or more households in its customer territory.

While some agencies still use the 750 figure, Edison spokesman Gil Alexander said Edison calculates that a megawatt now supplies an average of 650 households.

``We're not seeing as much conservation by our customers as we saw during and immediately following the energy crisis,'' Alexander said. ``Per-customer use of electricity is up.

``That's not just a comment on conservation. It has to do with lifestyle. All of us are buying more and more electronics, and more electronics have the standby mode built in. When we press the `On' button, we want an instant response -- we don't want to wait for it to warm up.''

Those standby electronics have earned the nickname ``vampires.''

Televisions, computers, DVD players, coffee makers -- all suck power when they are dormant but remain plugged in.

Officials said they can cause a drain not only on the power grid, but on the average household's utility bill.

Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, D-Van Nuys, who has authored legislation to increase energy conservation and efficiency, said studies have shown that such devices can cost an average household at least $200 per year simply from power drained when they are not in use.

Levine's proposed ``Vampire Slayer Act of 2006'' requires such devices to be labeled with how much power the appliance uses when in standby, along with the cost.

Utility officials note there is at least one factor that somewhat mitigates the vampire effect: The newest appliances are far more energy-efficient than their predecessors.

Still, Levine has authored another bill aimed at requiring state agencies to push utilities to set and meet stronger targets for energy efficiency.

For example, he said, more utilities could adopt programs like loan buybacks of old inefficient refrigerators, teaching homeowners to install double-pane windows and exchanging incandescent light bulbs for more efficient fluorescent bulbs.

``We're talking about smart investments in something that's cheap -- certainly cheaper than building new power plants,'' Levine said.

With the cost of electricity up this year because of soaring natural gas prices, and rate formulas weighted to penalize excessive use, the lack of conservation can be exponentially expensive for customers who use the most power.

Alexander noted that some Edison customers might not be aware their rates went up earlier this year because the effect was less noticeable during the cooler months.

They could be in for a shock when their next bills arrive later this summer.

The rates were increased because of higher costs for the natural gas used to run power plants. The increases average out to 15 percent, but in reality could be much higher for some customers.

The bills are calculated through a four-tier system in which the more power is used, the higher the rate. That means excess power usage on such hot summer days as the state has faced this month leads to disproportionately higher bills.

Low-use customers might see an increase of only a few dollars during the summer, but residential customers who use a lot of power could see their bills double, Alexander said.

The LADWP, which has not raised base power rates since 1993, will consider next week whether to impose a surcharge on monthly bills to cover the rising cost of natural gas. The surcharge would total about $24 next year.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger urged Californians this week to be more aware of conservation.

He also issued an order to state agencies to temporarily reduce their daytime energy usage by 25 percent, through steps such as keeping thermostats at 78 degrees, turning off lights when not in use and minimizing the use of electricity for water pumping for the State Water Project during peak times.

In his own household, Schwarzenegger said, he taught his children to conserve by unscrewing the light bulb every time one of them leaves a room without shutting off the lights.

If it happens several times, the room stays dark for a few weeks.

``They've gotten the message now,'' Schwarzenegger said. ``There is never again a light that is not turned out when they leave the room.''

harrison.sheppard(at)dailynews.com

[phone]

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, 2 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- color) Unplug that appliance

``Vampire' appliances, which continue to suck electricity even when they aren't in use, include:

Electric toothbrush chargers

Chargers for iPods

Laptop chargers

Chargers for digital cameras

Cell phone chargers

(2 -- color) Golden retriever Brandy, 9, cools off in Van Nuys.

Tina Burch/Staff Photographer

Box:

(1) Power-saving tips

SOURCE: Los Angeles Department of Water & Power; Southern California Edison

(2) Summer heat

SOURCE: National Weather Service