Even when they're off, they're not really off . Who could have foreseen . . . Despite that added drain, the energy grid has held up well until this year, a fact that some cite as evidence that we learned from the trials of the '70s. Forecasters once thought California would require, by century's end, a massive system capable of providing 85,000 megawatts. A lot of people are willing to conserve if they see an important need for it, said Betsy Reifsnider, executive director of the Sacramento-based environmental organization Friends of the River.
Electrical use is no different.
Saving is often painless with a few simple measures that also reduce monthly bills. Reifsnider says her home has double-pane windows, a new washer and dryer, and a gas water heater. One difficulty for many people is that they cannot see, in any detail, the demands they place on the system. Rates in Sacramento are based on property size. Electric meters, which are everywhere, convey little with a spinning dial that no one bothers to watch or could decipher.