Con Edison restores power to customers on Staten Island
WESTERLEIGH, Staten Island (WABC) -- Con Edison worked for hours to get the power back on for customers on Staten Island Friday night.
Officials pleaded residents city-wide to conserve energy in the extreme heat. As many as 6,000 people were in the dark and without air conditioning in Westerleigh and Castleton Corners.
Some Staten Island residents were debating going to a hotel or leaving their homes to stay with family.
"Too humid, we already took showers, it already feels like I need another one, it's ridiculous," said Christina Cetino. "I know for sure I can't go to sleep like this. And then also we rely on our phones to wake up in the morning for work. And no power, how are we gonna charge our phones."
One resident had an unusual problem and was stuck work because the power went out before the garage door to his auto body shop had closed all the way.
"It stopped on the pole, we put the pole up because at first there was no, I couldn't even get that down, it came down for like a minute, I was putting it down and then it got stuck," said Abdul Maher.
Residents who slowly had their power restored were simply concerned if the power would stay on for good.
Con Edison also asked customers in the southeast portion of Westchester County to conserve energy. It has reduced voltage in the area by 8%.
The area includes Rye, Rye Brook, Port Chester, Harrison, the Town of Mamaroneck and the Village of Mamaroneck. It covers 40,000 customers.
Con Edison urges customers to stay away from downed wires because they might be live. Do not try to touch them or move them with your hands or any object. If you see downed wires, call 1-800-75CONED or your local police department.
Con Edison offers these conservation tips:
-Set your air conditioner to the highest comfortable temperature. Every degree you lower the thermostat increases costs;
-To reduce heat and moisture in your home, run appliances such as ovens, washing machines, dryers and dishwashers in the early morning or late at night when it's cooler;
-When the AC is running, close doors to keep cool air in and hot air out;
-Keep shades, blinds and curtains closed. About 40 percent of unwanted heat comes through windows;
-Even when using AC, use ceiling and other fans to provide additional cooling and better circulation;
-Turn off AC units, lights and other appliances when not at home and use a timer to turn on your air conditioner about a half-hour before arriving home;
-Keep AC filters clean;
-Replacing an old air conditioner with a new ENERGY STAR unit can reduce energy usage by 30 percent;
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