NYC Warns 102-Degree Heat Could Trigger Outages as Officials Push 78-Degree Thermostats
Updated
Updated · abcnews.com · Jul 3
NYC Warns 102-Degree Heat Could Trigger Outages as Officials Push 78-Degree Thermostats
1 articles · Updated · abcnews.com · Jul 3
Summary
New York City and state officials urged residents to conserve electricity as temperatures were forecast to hit 102 degrees Friday, warning that surging demand and unexpected load challenges could cause outages over the July Fourth weekend.
84 degrees — the city’s warmest morning low in nearly 15 years — underscored why air-conditioning demand is straining the grid across the East Coast, South and Midwest.
78 degrees is the recommended thermostat setting during peak hours; experts said that level can cut cooling costs by about 12% while easing pressure from home AC and building HVAC systems.
Utilities also advised closing blinds, delaying laundry, dishwashing and oven use, turning off idle electronics, and postponing EV charging until after 10 p.m.
Cleveland has already seen thousands of households lose power in the current heat, highlighting the wider outage risk as the holiday weekend begins.