Power plays: lightning, outages

Lightning bolts above and blown transformers below, electricity exerted its special power in local neighborhoods last weekend.

The strain on Southern California Edison's electrical grid led to scattered power blackouts in neighborhoods throughout Agoura Hills, Oak Park, Thousand Oaks, Moorpark and Simi Valley.

Soaring temperatures combined with high humidity levels placed a unforgiving strain on the Southland's energy capacity as residents pumped their air conditioning in an attempt to stay cool.

Residents in Oak Park were among those left in the dark.

"I understand that blackouts occur when the system is pushed to its limit," said David, Tan who lost the power to his home on Kanan Road around 7 p.m. last Saturday.

The power outages were mostly caused by failing transformers, an Edison spokesperson said. The transformers convert high voltages that allow electricity to travel greater distances into low voltages that are safe for home use.

"Distribution transformers under normal conditions work very hard during the day and are then allowed to cool off at night," said Rudy Gonzalez, Edison's regional manager. "The high temperatures at night during the past 11 days and the large use of air conditioning didn't give the transformers the opportunity to cool off, so they overheated and failed."

During power outages, Southern California Edison instructs residents to call (800) 611-1911 in order to determine which areas are affected. But during last weekend's record-setting high temperatures, the sheer volume of calls prevented Edison from being able to fully respond.

As a result, Tan and other Oak Park residents were unable to contact the power company.

During future outages, Gonzalez said residents should continue to call the 800 number, but can also try (805) 497-5611.

Despite the lack of electricity, Tan was able to escape the heat by packing up his laptop and cellphone and relocating his home office to the air conditioned Borders Book Store in Thousand Oaks.

"I wasn't so much concerned with the heat as I was with my food spoiling," Tan said. "I also learned that it's a good idea to remove the ice bin in the freezer when a power outage occurs to prevent water from leaking onto your floor."

Edison offers a host of ways to help cut back residential energy usage during periods of high demand.

Gonzalez warned, "people shouldn't set their air conditioning below 78 degrees, and we're now recommending that they not lower it below 82 degrees.

"People should also be sure to use ceiling and room fans instead of air conditioning whenever possible, to avoid cooling unused rooms, and close their shades to block sunlight."

Even though temperatures are predicted to drop throughout the week, Edison has warned of further power outages and advises all residents to reduce their energy consumption.

The power company said it has no plans for intentional, or rolling blackouts.

See related story on page 35.