Retailers Unsure About Power-Saving Laws
L O S A N G E L E S, Feb. 4, 2001 -- Imagine this: "power police" prowling car dealerships to ensure outdoor lights are turned off, acres of dark parking lots, and fines of up to $1,000 a day for using too much power.
The scenario is possible under Gov. Gray Davis' executive order issued last week. The order, which becomes mandatory by March 15, requires retailers to "substantially reduce" outdoor lighting during non-business hours and carries a potential fine of $1,000 a day. The goal is to reduce retail outdoor lighting demand by 50 percent.
"Everybody has to do their part," said Davis spokesman Roger Salazar. "We feel that Californians will respond pretty strongly to this ... hopefully, we won't have to issue fines."
The order exempts lighting deemed "necessary for the health and safety of the public, employees and property." But exactly what that means is unclear.
"Is it half my lights? Is it a third? I can't answer that," said Kenneth Greene, vice president and general manager of Silver Star Motor Car Co. in Thousand Oaks.
The dealership has five acres of Oldsmobile and Lexus cars, and luxury sport utility vehicles like Land Rovers and Humvees with price tags up to $100,000.
Vandalism and thefts have occurred, so outdoor lighting is important.
Greene said the dealership already has some outdoor lights on a timer, and probably could turn off a few more switches.
"I do want to do what's right," he said. "I know we'll try."
Concern of Increased Crime
Nobody has comprehensive figures on how much electricity outdoor signs and parking lot lights consume. But Home Depot believes it alone could save enough electricity each month to power 1,800 houses, spokesman Chuck Sifuentes said.
The home improvement chain, which has 140 stores in California, began cutting back on indoor and outdoor lighting two weeks ago.
The tall pylon signs used to lure freeway drivers go off at the end of the business day. An hour after a store closes, the parking lot goes dark.
Law enforcement officials say they hope businesses voluntarilycomply before fines are needed.
"Enforcing it would be the last thing that we do," said Deputy R. Bottomley of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, one of 10 agencies collaborating on an enforcement plan.
Darkening auto dealerships and store parking lots could "be a help for the criminal element," said Lt. Jim Peery of the Tustin Police Department.
The city boasts blocks of auto dealerships and a gigantic shopping center. Peery said the department's 95 sworn officers might have to do extra policing if businesses darken their outdoor signs and lights.
Peery said he understands the need to conserve energy - he goes around turning off lights inside the police station.
But "our jobs are complicated enough as it is with new laws," he added. "I would hope that we wouldn't add being light bulb police."
Part of Larger Plan to Solve Power Crunch
The governor's order is only one piece of his plan to solve the power crunch that has left California's electrical grid on high alert for three weeks.
The California Independent System Operator extended the Stage 3 alert through Monday evening, although no rolling blackouts were predicted.
On Friday, Davis used his emergency authority to snap up long-term power contracts owned by Southern California Edison before they could be seized by one of the debt-ridden utility's creditors. That followed approval of legislation allowing the stateto spend $10 billion to buy power.
Edison and Pacific Gas & Electric Co. have $12.7 billion in debts. The utilities contend they have been forced to the brink of bankruptcy by skyrocketing wholesale electricity prices and state limits on how much they can charge their customers.
The governor's order on retail lighting takes aim at malls, big-box discount chains with acres of parking, and "the car dealership that's got its lights on at 3 a.m. and you can see itfor miles and miles," Salazar said.
'Every Little Bit Helps'
The order was supported by the California Retailers Association, which represents 55 companies, including the Ralphs grocery chain, Sears and Target.
The order is "a good tool to kind of level the playing field," association President Bill Dombrowski said. "It's a good thing when people are voluntarily doing it, but they get cold feet when their competitors aren't doing it."
Dombrowski doesn't anticipate any problems with compliance.
As for the energy-saving impact, "I think it'll be relatively minor as compared to the other conservation measures we're taking," he said, such as turning down indoor lights and air conditioning and heating during business hours.
"We're cutting anywhere from 10 percent to 30 percent usage over thepast three weeks," he added.
The lights-out edict is a good idea, even if it creates only a marginal dip in energy use, said Lynda Ziegler, director of business and regulatory planning for Southern California Edison. The order won't cut usage during peak daytime hours, and power generated for use overnight cannot be stored, she said.
But with the state critically low on reserve electricity around the clock, every little bit helps. "Anything that reduces the overall load is going to be beneficial," especially to ratepayers, because it reduces the need for utilities to buy costly spot emergency supplies of power, Ziegler said.