The toll-free number operates 24 hours a day. In Fresno, the utility has 165 people to answer telephones. The San Jose center has 137 people, and the Sacramento office has 262. We had 1.1 million calls in March 2000. Now it's overwhelming.
People are so hungry for information.
But people need to have patience. Callers are becoming more interested in conserving energy during the summer, officials said. The line was called 56,895 times in the last three months of 2000. In the first three months of this year, the line was called 108,477 times. Dennis said the wait for a real person could be 10 to 15 minutes during busy times.