The grid operator requested reduced power usage amid a record-breaking heat wave.

The western United States are currently in the midst of record-breaking high temperatures. The heat wave is intense enough to warrant heat advisories in Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and California. California in particular is on the cusp of concerning electricity situation resulting directly from the heat, as residents turn up their air conditioning, placing greater strain on the grid.

In response to this, the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) issued a official Flex Alert on Wednesday, requesting Californians do all they can to conserve power and prevent the grid from overloading.

“The California Independent System Operator (ISO), with extreme heat forecast for much of California and the Southwest, has issued a statewide Flex Alert to encourage electricity conservation tomorrow from 5 PM to 10 PM to reduce stress on the grid and avoid power outages,” CAISO announced.

Residents were encouraged to turn their thermostats up to 78 degrees, refrain from using large appliances and leaving lights on, unplug anything not actively in use, and use fans to cool off before using air conditioning. CAISO has said that if not enough people contribute to the conservation effort and the demand for power grows too large, the power utility companies would need to begin rotating power outages.

These efforts follow an emergency proclamation issued by California Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday requesting lessened strain on the power grid. “The proclamation suspends certain permitting requirements, allowing the use of back-up power generation and freeing up additional energy capacity to help alleviate the heat-induced demands on the state’s energy grid,” the press release states.

The National Weather service isn’t quite sure how long the intense western heat wave will last, though at the very least, it will last until the end of this week, and quite possibly beyond.