Mayor Urges New Yorkers to Reduce their Uses of Electricity to Preserve City’s Energy Supply

By Yehudit Garmaise

     Mayor Bill de Blasio urged New Yorkers to consider whether they need to do laundry, leave on many lights, and use their microwaves today, as he asked everyone in the city to reduce their use of energy as temperatures creep toward 100 degrees today.

     After the National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning today, the mayor returned to Brooklyn from what was to be his week-long vacation to hold a press conference in which he said, “I want all New Yorkers to take it seriously because this is really serious heat.”

     While, “first and foremost,” Mayor de Blasio said that he “really wants to keep people safe,” he also pointed out the dangers that extreme heat can bring strains to the city’s electricity supply: if residents don’t reduce their uses of it.

     “We don’t want to see any interruptions, outages, and everyone can do something about it by being smart about how you use your energy,” said the mayor, who said that he will also be reducing the use of energy in the city’s government buildings. “Turn off anything you don’t need today and tomorrow.

     “Help us get through today and tomorrow, and I think after that things will be looking a lot better.”

   Several weeks ago, when the temperatures similarly spiked in New York City, the mayor praised New Yorkers for reducing their energy use, after they were asked to do so.

     “We had a real challenge, we had extreme heat, we make an appeal to New Yorkers to reduce energy, and everyone in this city did a great job,” the mayor said. “We reduced energy use rapidly in a matter of hours, and it helped protect our electrical supply.

     “We have to be ready to do that again, so tell everyone: If you don’t need to use something today, please don’t.”

     In terms of keeping everyone healthy and safe, the mayor reminded New Yorkers to “stay hydrated and keep an eye on your kids if they are out playing.

     “Don’t let them stay outside too long, and obviously, check-in on neighbors, loved ones, and our senior citizens, today, for sure, and tomorrow it looks like as well.”

 Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office.