Con Edison lifts NYC voltage reduction early Friday

Aug 3 (Reuters) - New York power company Consolidated Edison Inc said it lifted the voltage reduction in neighborhoods of the Bronx and Manhattan by early Friday morning.

The company reduced the voltage early Thursday by 5 percent to take some of the stress off the local power system and allow workers to fix some electrical equipment.

The voltage reduction, or brown out, occurred as homes and businesses in the Big Apple cranked up their air conditioners to escape a mini heat wave. Con Edison did not ask customers to turn off their air conditioners during the voltage reduction.

Customers do not lose power in a voltage reduction, but incandescent lights, for example, glow dimmer, hot water heaters take longer to heat water and some motors run slower.

High temperatures reached 87 degrees Fahrenheit (31 Celsius) on Thursday and were expected to reach 90 on Friday and Saturday before returning to near normal levels in the mid 80s next week, according to weather forecaster AccuWeather.com.