New Yorkers urged to go easy on fire hydrants, ACs and other appliances during heat wave

As a heat wave continues to boil the Big Apple, city and utility leaders are urging New Yorkers to stay safe — while not overburdening the city’s infrastructure.

“Yesterday, the National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning,” said Deputy Mayor Phil Banks III during a public safety briefing on Friday. “What does that mean? It means it's hot. And it may be getting hotter.”

NYC Emergency Management Director Zach Iscol said Friday that roughly 941 fire hydrants had been opened on the previous day by people looking to cool down. Those fire hydrants were gushing water on city streets, creating a potentially dangerous situation.

“It reduces the water pressure that the fire department needs to fight fires,” he said at the same briefing. He urged people seeking cool bursts of water to go to their local firehouse and request a spray cap, which should be available to anyone over 18 with an ID. That, he said, would allow water to come out of the fire hydrant without damaging the water pressure needed to fight fires.

Meanwhile, Con Edison has been warning New Yorkers to go easy on their appliances. The utility said that while the city’s electrical grid has held up avoided major power outages thus far, New Yorkers should take some precautions to make sure the system stays intact.

Con Edison said peak electricity usage for its full service area of New York City and Westchester topped out at about double a typical day – around 11,464 megawatts at 6 p.m. on Thursday, and a similar load is expected on Friday. The record for megawatt usage is 13,322 MW, which was hit during a heat wave in 2013, utility officials said.

A spokesperson said there have only been scattered outages thus far and no voltage reductions have been needed.

The utility issued the following tips for conserving energy and staving off a potential blackout or brownout:

• Close off unoccupied rooms when using air conditioning.
• Set air conditioners to the highest comfortable temperature.
• Run ovens, washing machines, dryers and dishwashers in the early morning or late at night, when it’s cooler outside.
• Keep shades, blinds and curtains closed. About 40% of unwanted heat comes through windows.
• Even when using AC, use ceiling and other fans to provide additional cooling and better circulation.
• Turn off AC units, lights and other appliances when not at home and use a timer to turn on your air conditioner about a half-hour before arriving home.
• If you run a business, keep the door closed while running the air conditioner.
• Keep the filter in your air conditioner clean.

The city once again urged residents to check on neighbors, especially the elderly, during the intense weather. For people without air conditioning, cooling centers are still open and can be found here.

The heat wave was forecast to continue into Saturday, according to the National Weather Service, with temperatures expected to drop to the 80s by Sunday.