After a weekend that saw more than 4,000 homes in Simi lose electricity-some for more than 24 hours-a power company representative said air conditioning systems in the city should remain working for the duration of this weekend, and they hope, into the distant future.

"At this point we should be in pretty good shape," said Rudy Gonzalez, Southern California Edison's regional representative. "Right now we have adequate supply to meet demand, and with temperatures expected to come down, things should only get better."

Lightning bolts above and blown transformers below, electricity exerted its special power in local neighborhoods last weekend.

The strain on Edison's electrical grid led to scattered power blackouts throughout most of East County, affecting neighborhoods in Moorpark, Thousand Oaks, Oak Park and Simi Valley.

Soaring temperatures combined with high humidity levels placed an unforgiving strain on the Southland's energy capacity as residents pumped their air conditioning up in an attempt to stay cool.

Residents in Simi were among those left in the dark.

"At the peak, the highest number of people out at one point in time was around 6,500, and two-thirds of those were in the Simi Valley area," Gonzalez said.

The power outages were mostly caused by failing transformers, he said. The transformers convert high voltages that allow electricity to travel greater distances into low voltages that are safe for home use.

"Distribution transformers under normal conditions work very hard during the day and are then allowed to cool off at night," Gonzalez said. "The high temperatures at night during the past eleven days and the large use of air conditioning didn't give the transformers the opportunity to cool off, so they overheated and failed."

During power outages, Southern California Edison instructs residents to call (800) 611-1911 in order to determine which areas are affected. But during last weekend's recordsetting temperatures, the sheer volume of calls prevented Edison from being able to fully respond.

As a result, some Simi residents were unable to contact the power company.

During future outages, Gonzalez said residents should continue to call the 800 number, but can also try (805) 497-5611.

Southern California Edison offers a host of recommendations to help cut back residential energy usage during periods of high demand.

"People shouldn't set their air condition below 78 degrees, and we're now recommending that they not lower it below 82 degrees," Gonzalez said. "People should also be sure to use ceiling and room fans instead of air conditioning whenever possible, to avoid cooling unused rooms, and to close their shades to block sunlight."

Just a little bit of conservation goes a long way, the Edison rep explained.

"Turning the air conditioner to a higher temperature can be the difference between implementing rotating (blackouts) and not have to implement rolling (blackouts). The margin between demand and supply available was that close," Gonzalez said.

Even though temperatures are predicted to drop throughout the week, Edison has warned of further power outages and advises all residents to reduce their energy consumption.

The power company said it has no plans for intentional, or rolling blackouts.

Acorn reporter Kyle Jorrey contributed to this story