We have been notified that California's electrical supply/demand disequalibrium has today again reached its most critical level, with a "Stage 3" alert in effect until midnight tonight. This condition will potentially entail rolling blackouts unless widespread voluntary reductions are effective.

I am seeking the campus community's continued cooperation, which has been very responsive since the Stage 3 emergency first began. The University has pledged to the Governor that it will cooperate fully with Statewide load-reduction actions.

Specifically, here is what you can do:

1. Turn off unnecessary lighting. Rely on low-wattage task lighting or day lighting, if possible.
2. Turn off office equipment that is not being used, such as printers and copiers (unless such machines are relatively new, DOE "Energy Star" certified units that reduce energy consumption to a trickle during periods of inactivity).
3. At the conclusion of the workday, shut down office and other equipment for the evening.
4. Try to avoid opening refrigerators and freezers more frequently than necessary today.
5. Postpone using laundry and dishwashing facilities until late this evening.
6. Expect lighting, ventilation, and possibly elevator curtailments (where multiple elevators exist) by facilities staff as they attempt to manage the campus' electric load. Ventilation will be maintained at safe levels, but airflow in offices and restroom exhaust fan speeds will be cut noticeably in areas where we can make rapid adjustments. Please be tolerant of our efforts in this regard.
7. Keep fume hood sashes closed whenever possible. This reduces the load considerably at building exhaust fans and supply fans, as well as thermal energy from the Central Plant.
8. Turn off electric space heaters. (If you are uncomfortable today, turning up the thermostat a couple of degrees will incur substantially less electric load than an electric space heater.)
9. Avoid using high-wattage appliances, machines, and illumination.
10. Be prepared for a possible blackout today by shutting down machines that will incur damage, including loss of data, if power is suddenly lost.
11. Please communicate any ideas or observations about how we can reduce electric load anywhere on campus, either at the individual level or through operational actions by Physical Plant Services, to either Assistant Vice Chancellor Jack Hug (jhug@ucsd.edu) or me (srelyea@ucsd.edu).

Looking beyond the current situation, we realize how important a stable power environment is for a research university. I can assure you that infrastructure improvements that are underway assign a premium to reliability and long-term stability.

I appreciate your cooperation and the quick response of Physical Plant Services in responding to this situation.

Steven W. Relyea
Vice Chancellor
Business Affairs