Flex Alert called for Saturday through Monday, amid sweltering Labor Day weekend heat

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- With more excessive heat in the forecast this Labor Day weekend, the California Independent System Operator (ISO) has issued a Flex Alert for Saturday through Monday from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.

A string of triple-digit temperatures last month led to the ISO calling for the first rolling power outages in years.

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The California ISO issued several days of Flex Alerts during last month's hot days, calling on residents and businesses to limit energy consumption.

In some instances, excessive power use forced rotating outages throughout California, which prompted PG&E to roll out a new rotating outage map.

If and when rotating outages are deemed necessary, customers can find their outage block by entering their address.

"It tells you if there are any forecasts and it tells you the rotating outage blocks that are forecasted to be affected on that given day," said PG&E spokesperson Denny Boyles.

After the first set of rolling outages, conservation efforts during Flex Alerts have kept the lights on.

To conserve energy, Aaron Khasigian from Fowler Ace Hardware recommends keeping blinds closed, relying on fans, setting your thermostat to 78 degrees, and inexpensive upgrades like an insulation kit that could go a long way in limiting energy use while keeping you cool.

"It's a clear film, almost like window tint on your car, but it's going to help protect the UV rays and help make your windows more efficient," said Khasigian.

"Put door sweeps and door seals to make the doors more efficient when they are closed. And then obviously your AC filters."

Later on Thursday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an emergency proclamation that will lift some state regulations on power plants, helping them generate more electricity during the weekend heat wave.

The proclamation lifts certain restrictions that are normally in place to help maintain air quality. It allows, for example, ships docked at ports to run their auxiliary engines or generators instead of drawing power from the state's electrical grid and it lets thermal power plants exceed the normal temperature limits on waste discharge.