Nearly 50 City of Carlsbad business owners learned about the region's summer energy outlook and specific steps they can take to help reduce energy use as part of a meeting organized by the Ready Carlsbad Business Alliance, an organization formed by the City of Carlsbad and the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce to enable businesses to take an active role in emergency preparedness and response.
David Geier, vice president of electrical operations for SDG&E, told attendees at the June 14 meeting that the energy outlook is more concrete this summer than in other years, especially with the decision to shut down the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.
"This year, I guess the good news is we have more certainty," he said, adding, "everyone in the region is tied together."
Geier discussed steps SDG&E has taken to import power as well as to reduce risk factors, including replacing wood power-line poles to steel, which will stand up against greater winds as well as wildfires.
To reduce energy use, Geier said several programs are in place, including Reduce Your Use Day rewards, which offers residential customers bill credit for usage reduction, as well as Flex Your Power's Flex Alert program, which allows residential and commercial customers to be notified of expected high peak days.
However, despite efforts to reduce energy use, especially during the high-demand periods of late August through early September, Geier said nature may pose the greatest energy challenge this summer.
"Probably the single biggest risk is wildfires," Geier said.
While the summer energy outlook is "tight," Geier said he remains optimistic.
"A lot of bad things have to happen before we get into a situation," he said.
The Ready Carlsbad Business Alliance was developed to promote business emergency preparedness and response through services, educational programs and cooperative partnerships.
David Harrison, the City of Carlsbad's emergency preparedness manager, said information sharing sessions such as this meeting are important to the overall mission of the Ready Carlsbad Business Alliance, and support FEMA's preparedness mission as explained in their "Whole Community Approach to Emergency Management."
"The context for this type of symposium is the broader effort of engaging the whole community in emergency preparedness," Harrison said.
Deb Beddoe, CEO of YourOpsManager and co-chairwoman of the Ready Carlsbad Business Alliance, said businesses can do a lot to help their cities with emergencies, and this partnership is an example of what's possible.
"We would like to make the City of Carlsbad a model city for preparedness in recovering from disasters," she said.
Toni Padron, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, said it is important for business owners to work together to address issues related to emergency preparedness.
"We're trying to ensure businesses are up and running at all times, because your economy depends on it," she said.
Padron said the Ready Carlsbad Business Alliance is an example of how the city and the chamber can work together on emergency preparedness.
"We consider ourselves the model for what cities and a Chamber of Commerce can do," she said.
For more information on the City of Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce's Ready Carlsbad Business Alliance, contact David Harrison at [email protected] and visit readycarlsbad.com.
Murchinson is a CERT volunteer with the City of Carlsbad.
David Geier, vice president of electrical operations for SDG&E, told attendees at the June 14 meeting that the energy outlook is more concrete this summer than in other years, especially with the decision to shut down the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.
"This year, I guess the good news is we have more certainty," he said, adding, "everyone in the region is tied together."
Geier discussed steps SDG&E has taken to import power as well as to reduce risk factors, including replacing wood power-line poles to steel, which will stand up against greater winds as well as wildfires.
To reduce energy use, Geier said several programs are in place, including Reduce Your Use Day rewards, which offers residential customers bill credit for usage reduction, as well as Flex Your Power's Flex Alert program, which allows residential and commercial customers to be notified of expected high peak days.
However, despite efforts to reduce energy use, especially during the high-demand periods of late August through early September, Geier said nature may pose the greatest energy challenge this summer.
"Probably the single biggest risk is wildfires," Geier said.
While the summer energy outlook is "tight," Geier said he remains optimistic.
"A lot of bad things have to happen before we get into a situation," he said.
The Ready Carlsbad Business Alliance was developed to promote business emergency preparedness and response through services, educational programs and cooperative partnerships.
David Harrison, the City of Carlsbad's emergency preparedness manager, said information sharing sessions such as this meeting are important to the overall mission of the Ready Carlsbad Business Alliance, and support FEMA's preparedness mission as explained in their "Whole Community Approach to Emergency Management."
"The context for this type of symposium is the broader effort of engaging the whole community in emergency preparedness," Harrison said.
Deb Beddoe, CEO of YourOpsManager and co-chairwoman of the Ready Carlsbad Business Alliance, said businesses can do a lot to help their cities with emergencies, and this partnership is an example of what's possible.
"We would like to make the City of Carlsbad a model city for preparedness in recovering from disasters," she said.
Toni Padron, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, said it is important for business owners to work together to address issues related to emergency preparedness.
"We're trying to ensure businesses are up and running at all times, because your economy depends on it," she said.
Padron said the Ready Carlsbad Business Alliance is an example of how the city and the chamber can work together on emergency preparedness.
"We consider ourselves the model for what cities and a Chamber of Commerce can do," she said.
For more information on the City of Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce's Ready Carlsbad Business Alliance, contact David Harrison at [email protected] and visit readycarlsbad.com.
Murchinson is a CERT volunteer with the City of Carlsbad.