Black outs in Brooklyn

Seeing as that I am posting from my cellphone, I could post were I in the midst of one. I am, however, not. I just have no internet service. And all the white folk that moved in here have encryption on their wireless. Bastards.

black folk don't know about encryption?!

Flexichick wrote: black folk don't know about encryption?!

Hell yeahs. All their shit was already encrypted when I moved in. I just figured at least ONE of the new folk would have an open router. But NOoOoo! Fucking WAP and square link bike chains surround me.

fuckers!

<cough>, back to the question for just one sec: http://www.brooklynian.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=43080

Here is a nifty website:
http://apps.coned.com/weboutageinfo/stormcenter/default.aspx

According to Con Edison’s calculations, the biggest jumps in demand came in residential neighborhoods where many homeowners turned on their air conditioners for the first time this year. In Park Slope, Brooklyn, for instance, peak demand soared 45 percent on Monday at 5 p.m. compared with the previous Monday at the same time.

NY Times

when i was growing up in brooklyn, there was one block that i lived on, every summer it gets brown outs like clock work. it wasn't cool the neighboring areas had lights etc... minus this few blocks around where i lived.

I'm not judging anyone who uses an A/C at home, but I'm happy to report that we have been A/C free at home this week. I feel like my office is so over-AC'd that it takes me hours to readjust in the evenings. And last night's breezes were dreamy. I woulda missed 'em had the windows been shut.

Here's my crazy idea: maybe ConEd should give customer small discounts if their usage is below a certain level during peak days. It might encourage people to think about turning the A/C on just before bed rather than having it run all evening.

BKChickie wrote: I'm not judging anyone who uses an A/C at home, but I'm happy to report that we have been A/C free at home this week. I feel like my office is so over-AC'd that it takes me hours to readjust in the evenings. And last night's breezes were dreamy. I woulda missed 'em had the windows been shut.

Here's my crazy idea: maybe ConEd should give customer small discounts if their usage is below a certain level during peak days. It might encourage people to think about turning the A/C on just before bed rather than having it run all evening.

Your lucky - but there are many people who need the AC because their homes are so hot it could become a health hazard (elderly, small children, etc.) I cannot sleep it its too hot so for me I need my AC

I went all last summer with no AC, so I'm familiar with it. But I'm not doing it again this year...

AND- I got no discounts last year, instead I had to pay as if I were using AC due to their stupid estimated charges. Of course once they actually read my meter I didn't have to pay electricity again for literally _months_.

Is "black out" another way of saying "gentrification" ???

ugh.. I usually try to see how long I can last without putting in the A/C, and usually go until early- to mid-july...but this time around I'm living with my asthmatic girlfriend and her asthmatic cat, both of which appreciate copious amounts of cooler, dry air so they can, um, breathe and stuff.

The cat, in fact, had to be rushed to Animal Kind's "ER" on sunday as we were in the middle of putting in the A/Cs because he was breathing ridiculously rapidly and panting.

BKChickie wrote: Here's my crazy idea: maybe ConEd should give customer small discounts if their usage is below a certain level during peak days. It might encourage people to think about turning the A/C on just before bed rather than having it run all evening.

ConEd does have a program that charges different rates during peak/non-peak hours to try to encourage conservation. I checked it out - unfortunately it doesn't seem to make sense based on my usage patterns. Basically, they charge a administrative fee that outweighs any benefit, since i'm not a particularly large consumer of electricity.

Might work for others though...
http://www.coned.com/customercentral/energyresvoluntary.asp

we went without the AC last year. it was fine in terms of heat -- we have a lucky apartment that way. there was one week in august that we would have used the AC if we'd had it, but otherwise it was fine.

except for the street noise. i was borderline homocidal. a huge group of teenagers decided the cool place to hang out (and scream and yell and fight and piss on the plants) was right in front of our building. since none of them live here, none of their parents were around to tell them to cool it, and they were a big enough group of old enough kids not to care what a stranger said. i had to lock myself in the bathroom to keep from throwing things that would really have done damage.

we got an AC this year. we'll try not to use it much.