In the event of power shortages, PG&E is part of a California-wide initiative called Flex Your Power that sends out alerts when there's a particularly high demand for power - usually due to a heat wave. You can sign up for email or text message alerts for these power shortages here.

However, even when there's not a power shortage, it's always a good idea to run your appliances at off-peak times whenever possible. It brings down the peak load on the electrical grid and means that fewer new power plants need to be built - so your utility rates won't rise as much in the future!