National Grid is asking you to use less electricity this week

National Grid is asking Western New Yorkers to refrain from excessive use of electricity as this summer heat wave extends into the holiday week.

The power provider says it is not making usage reductions mandatory, "but high customer demand combined with sustained high temperatures puts extreme stress on equipment, threatening service reliability."

Scattered outages left thousands of National Grid and NYSEG customers without power for up to several hours over the weekend as temperatures soared into the 90s.

In order to reduce electricity usage in your home, National Grid recommends the following:

• Draw blinds, shades, drapes to prevent the sun from making your home too hot
• Slightly increase air conditioner settings, change filter, use fans
• Consider a programmable thermostat
• Turn off lights when they are not needed
• Delay the use of hot water appliances like dish washers and washing machines
• Unplug electronics not in use
• Turn off your pool pump