Uniondale, NY - April 30th, 2014 - PSEG Long Island has made significant upgrades to the system and is ready to meet peak demand during the upcoming summer months.
PSEG Long Island has completed numerous projects at substations and on the electric transmission and distribution system across its service territory, in anticipation of the arrival of summer peak demand. These projects are part of PSEG Long Island’s multimillion dollar capital improvement program and are designed to maintain or improve reliability and meet increased customer demand for PSEG Long Island’s 1.1 million customers. This capital improvement program maintains PSEG Long Island’s best-in-class reliability for overhead systems in New York.
“With ample power supply and ongoing improvements to the Long Island transmission and distribution system, we are prepared to meet the summertime demand of our customers,” said David Daly, president and chief operating officer of PSEG Long Island. “While heat related outages can happen on hot days, our workforce will be ready to address those outages as safely and as quickly as possible.”
As part of the capital improvement program PSEG Long Island has invested:
- $2.3 million to elevate critical equipment at the Woodmere Substation to avoid damage from future storm surges.
- $15 million to install a new Dynamic Reactive Support System at the Holtsville substation to strengthen the grid and reduce the susceptibility of wide spread outages on the east end of Long island.
- $6.5 million for the installation of a new 23 KV transmission line between the Amagansett and East Hampton substations in the Town of East Hampton to provide additional capacity during the summer peak load period and improve reliability to the customers on the east end of the south fork. This work is currently in progress and is anticipated to be completed by the summer loading season.
- $14 million for the installation of a new 69KV transmission line between Great Neck and Port Washington substations in the Town of North Hempstead that will provide additional supply capacity to the area to meet customer load requirements. The work is currently in progress and is scheduled to be completed prior to the summer loading season.
- $37 million for tree trimming to ensure adequate clearance and prevent tree contacts with energized power lines. The expanded program will improve the trimming cycle on Long Island to improve customer reliability. This work is in progress and will be completed by year end. While PSEG Long Island has adequate energy to meet summer demand, customers are reminded to use energy more efficiently to control costs.
To use energy efficiently during periods of high temperatures and humidity, customers should:
- Put air conditioners on timers, don't let them run when not at home;
- Set air conditioners at 78 degrees;
- Use fans to circulate cool air, which helps cut air conditioner use;
- Set refrigerators and freezers at most efficient temperatures;
- Run major appliances such as clothes and dishwashers in the morning or late evening to avoid the peak demand hours of 2:00 – 8:00 p.m.;
- Seal holes and cracks around doors and windows. Eliminate air leaks around window air conditioners with foam insulation or weather-stripping;
- Close blinds, shades and draperies facing the sun to keep out the sun’s heat and help fans and air conditioners cool more efficiently;
- Turn off power sources. TVs, computers and other electronic devices draw power when they are in standby mode or turned off but still plugged in. Plug electronics into power strips and turn off the power switch when the items are not in use;
- Use timers and motion detectors on indoor and outdoor lighting;
- Replace old appliances with new energy efficient ENERGY STAR® appliances;
- If possible, install whole-house fans that bring in cooler night-time air that can pre-cool a house and reduce energy use in the daytime if heat is kept out by closing windows and shades.