With a lawsuit filed by a group called "LaderaHope" challenging the construction of a peaker electric power plant on land near Ladera Ranch where San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) already has an electric transmission and distribution substation, it appears this issue won’t be resolved any time soon.
Regardless of how the debate comes out, however, what won’t change is:
n San Diego Gas & Electric will still be required to provide enough electric power generating capacity to meet today’s and future peak electric demands; n Consumers of electric power — primarily residents and businesses in Ladera Ranch — will demand they have a steady, reliable source of electric power when they need it; n Some residents who use ventilators, respirators, and other medical devices will continue to rely on electric power to survive; n The demand for electricity in Ladera Ranch will continue to soar; and n Most people will have no idea how much they rely on electricity to function in today’s modern day world until they spend a night or two in the dark. That said, there are many things that each of us can do to reduce the demand for electric power going forward, things that will also save a lot of money while helping to save the environment. First, go to the SDG&E website — www.sdge.com — and take an Online Home Energy Survey (under "Residential," then "Go Green.") The exercise will help to understand where you’re using the most electricity. By replacing these incandescent light bulbs with fluorescent bulbs, the cost of lighting can be reduced to a fraction of its previous cost. Go a step further and downsize the wattage of each bulb from, say 100 watts to 75 watts, or 75 watts to 60 watts. You’ll by surprised how little difference this makes, especially in rooms with multiple recessed light fixtures. Turn off all the computers and electronic gadgets in the household when not being used, or at least every night. I was shocked to discover that we had several computers running most of the time in our house, but I’ll bet we’re not unusual in that respect. These are a few low-cost, high-return measures you can take to reduce your electric consumption by as much as 25% to 50%. We’ll be doing more on this in the months ahead while the issue of the peaker plant gets resolved. Jim Schmitt, Editor and Publisher
Most people would probably guess running the whole house electric air conditioner uses the most electricity and it does use a lot . . . when it’s running that is. But the biggest user of residential electricity on an annualized basis is home lighting, which typically consumes about 40% of the electricity used by today’s modern homes in Ladera Ranch, where in the kitchen, for example, you can have a dozen or more high-intensity recessed lights blazing away.
The fluorescents are more expensive than incandescent bulbs, but they last much longer. Replace a room a month, and watch for sales; I purchased four-packs of 60-watt fluorescent recessed bulbs the other day for $1 a pack, or 25 cents a bulb.
Increase the thermostat setting on your air conditioning system a couple of degrees and install ceiling, window, and floor fans to maintain a comfortable environment.