WPCNR THE POWER NEWS. From The Mayor's Office. August 2, 2006: As of 5 PM with the temperature steady at 95 degrees in the shade, and residents begin to return to their homes, when evening demand yesterday blew circuit breakers in the Highlands, the Mayor's Office has released to WPCNR the following Con Edison statement:

"As a result of the record setting temperatures that continue in Westchester County today....

We continue to be fully mobilized for the current heat event and have brought in additional staffing at all levels, 24/7.

We are responding to local scattered outages in the county as a result of this excessive heat event

Con Edison set a new record for electric usage Tuesday, reaching 13,103 megawatts at 5 P.M. (Tuesday), which topped the new 13,059 megawatts the company set last year on July 27, 2005. The load forecast for today is significantly higher than for yesterday.

We urge all customers not to use any unnecessary electrical appliances and conserve energy during the current heat wave.

Electric supplies are sufficient to meet the projected demand for electricity this week, and company crews remain ready to respond to any power outage that may occur.

If customers do experience an outage, they should contact Con Edison by calling the 24-hour, toll free number at 1-800-75CONED.

Municipal concerns should continue to be addressed through normal channels."

Con Edison requests:

"Turn off appliances when they are not needed. Set air conditioners at 78 degrees or higher. Use energy-intensive appliances like dishwashers, washing machines and dryers late at night, or early in the morning."