Californians Asked To Conserve Energy For 2nd Straight Day; Downtown Sacramento Hits Record High Heat

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Friday marked a second consecutive day of calls for energy conservation as California continues to face a brutal heatwave.

The California Independent System Operator (CAISO), which manages the state's power grid, put a flex alert in place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday. CAISO called for residents to set thermostats to 78 degrees or higher, turn off unnecessary lights and avoid the use of major appliances.

As of 5:45 p.m., CAISO's website showed the state's current energy demand was just shy of the day's forecasted peak.

Downtown Sacramento recorded a high of 110 degrees Friday, topping a previous June 18 record of 106 from 2017.

Thursday's Flex Alert was the first of the year and was issued from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. to help relieve stress on the state's power grid. The first rolling outages of the year nearly came Thursday evening, but were eventually averted thanks to energy conservation and slowly cooling temperatures in the evening.

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday signed an emergency proclamation that suspends certain permitting requirements, allowing power plants to ramp up operations if necessary to meet the demand for electricity. The proclamation cites the "extreme heat peril" facing the state this week.