Statewide Flex Alert issued calling for energy conservation due to expected heat

(KION) The California Independent System Operator has issued a statewide Flex Alert due to high temperatures expected Friday.

The alert is a call for Californians to conserve energy between 3 and 10 p.m. due to a predicted increase in demand.

The agency said conservation can help the power grid and reduce the chances of a power outage. Pacific Gas and Electric said conservation could reduce the risk of emergency rotating power outages.

To save energy, PG&E recommends that customers adjust thermostats to 78 degrees or higher, use a fan instead of air conditioning, draw drapes, turn off unnecessary lighting, unplug chargers and power strips that are not in use and set pool pumps to run overnight.

There will be an excessive heat warning in place in the Diablo Range, the higher valleys of San Benito County, the Gabilan Range, Cholame Hills, the Santa Lucia Range, Los Padres National Forest and southern valleys in Monterey County, including the southern Salinas Valley, starting at 11 a.m. Friday. Some areas may get close to 110 degrees.

In the Santa Cruz mountains, there will be a heat advisory in effect from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday.

Read more about the Central Coast forecast here.