A grandmother in Queens didn't need a lecture about her thermostat; she needed electricity.
Con Edison temporarily shut off electric services Friday to about 9,800 residential and commercial customers in Southwest Queens after extreme heat and heavy demand damaged equipment.
The affected neighborhoods included Howard Beach, Ozone Park, Richmond Hill, and South Ozone Park.
The company said the move was meant to allow quicker repairs and prevent longer, wider outages.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani had already asked businesses and residents to set thermostats to 78ºF and hold off on running major appliances until early morning or late at night.
“I am asking every New Yorker to make a heat plan before the worst of this weather arrives,” said Mayor Mamdani. “The best protection against extreme heat is air conditioning. If you don’t have it at home, know now where you’ll go to stay cool. Check in on your neighbors, especially seniors, and if you see someone outside who appears to be in distress, call 311 so we can get help to them. This administration is using every tool we have to keep New Yorkers safe, but the strongest city is one where neighbors look out for one another.”
“We have deployed every resource this city has, but our most powerful tool isn’t a forecast or a cooling center. It’s a New Yorker,” said NYC Emergency Management Commissioner Christina Farrell. “The neighbor who knocks on the door, the family member who calls to check in, the stranger who stops to help. This holiday week, we are asking every New Yorker to look out for one another so that no one faces this heat alone. Visit nyc.gov/beattheheat or call 311 to find a cooling center near you and get the resources you need to beat the heat.”
City Hall said temperatures could feel as hot as 112ºF during the historic holiday weekend heat wave. The mayor's office also opened more cooling centers, extended pool hours, and expanded outreach to vulnerable New Yorkers.
Conservation during a heat wave can be reasonable; families understand the strain. Most people will turn a dishwasher off, delay laundry, or nudge the thermostat up a few degrees if it keeps the lights on for a sick neighbor down the block.
The insult comes when political leaders preach sacrifice after years of treating reliable energy like a dirty habit.
New York doesn't have an ideology problem when the air is mild and the lights are on. It has one when the heat index climbs, the grid strains, and ordinary people are told to sweat through a crisis while the political class poses as noble managers of scarcity.
Con Edison said heat, humidity, and higher demand from air conditioners strained the system. By Thursday night, crews had restored power to nearly 31,000 customers affected by scattered outages since the heat wave began. They were still working to restore service to about 5,000 customers in Staten Island, 5,000 in the Bronx, and 6,000 in Queens.
The company later said the heat wave was one of the most intense in more than a decade, with dangerous temperatures topping 100ºF. Crews worked around the clock repairing underground cables in sweltering conditions.
Con Edison told customers to defer major appliances between 2 p.m. and 10 p.m., use only one large appliance at a time, and set air conditioners to the highest comfortable temperature.
Gov. Kathy Hochul also urged New Yorkers to conserve electricity if safe, setting air conditioners between 75ºF and 78ºF and avoiding unnecessary appliance use. Her office said state officials were coordinating with Con Edison, NYISO, and New York City leaders so large energy users could switch to other fuel sources where possible. From the governor's statement:
“New York State is in the midst of a prolonged heat wave, and we've been carefully monitoring our electrical grid to ensure it is able to withstand the increase in energy usage and keep New Yorkers safe.
"My team has been coordinating with Con-Ed, NYISO and New York City leaders to ensure all large consumers able to switch to other fuel sources have done so to reduce their usage. Due to the increase in energy demand and unexpected load challenges, I am also calling on New Yorkers to do their part to proactively conserve electricity if safe to do so by setting air conditioning units between 75 - 78 degrees and avoiding unnecessary appliance use. These small steps can go a long way.
"While we are asking for New Yorkers to voluntarily conserve power, it's critical to stay safe in this dangerous heat: stay hydrated, reduce time outdoors and find a cooling center near you, especially if you're a senior citizen or have health concerns.
"I thank New Yorkers for taking these steps to reduce their usage and helping us keep the power on and protect the most vulnerable in our community.”
The problem isn't one emergency request; it's a governing culture that sees command as competence. Set the thermostat here, delay the appliance there, dim the signs, open a cooling center, and ask families to absorb the failure politely.
If the power returns, politicians claim management; if the grid buckles, residents are told they didn't sacrifice enough.
Con Edison had announced a record $3.9 billion in electric delivery system upgrades for summer 2026. The company said extreme heat is becoming more frequent and severe, and it forecast peak demand could exceed 2025 levels because of intense heat and humidity.
Matthew Ketschke, president of Con Edison, said the company is adding technology and capacity to keep service reliable.
Energy policy has consequences. A city can subsidize slogans, punish producers, bless climate theater, and pretend demand will obey press releases. Heat doesn't listen; hospitals need power; seniors need power; families in apartment buildings need power; and small businesses need power.
A modern city can't run on scolding.
Mamdani's New York just met the hard edge of reality. People will conserve in a crisis because they care about their neighbors. They shouldn't have to live under leaders who confuse forced discomfort with virtue.
The first duty of government isn't to manage decline with a smile. It's to make sure a grandmother in Queens can turn on the air conditioner when the heat outside can kill her.
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