There are lots of things that will pay off in #California as #preparation for upcoming heatwaves and wildfires, *now* (when it's cool, and when it's not during fire season) is the time to get them done.
1. Improve the insulation in your house. Most older California homes are under-insulated. Add a layer of insulation to your attic. Tax deductible, usually, pays for itself. Can dramatically lower your temps. during heatwaves.
2. Make adjustments to make your landscaping more fire resistant. Lots of resources from CALFIRE here: readyforwildfire.org/prepare-for-wi…
3. General disaster preparedness. Check your local area for resources, but I really like the Topanga Disaster Survival Guide topangasurvival.wordpress.com/survival-guide/
4. If you have the resources ($), solar panels + battery storage make the #PSPS events here a non-event. Solar is cheap (pays for itself), battery tends to be expensive. Better to install before the next rush on batteries (ie PSPS season).
5. On the Disaster front, if you're in the City of Los Angeles, they have the Ready Your LA Neighborhood (RYLAN) program emergency.lacity.org/rylan
6. It'll help with the energy bills if you end up running an A/C during heatwaves, but will also help through the whole year (and help the environment), run an "Energy Audit" on your house. energy.gov/energysaver/ho…
7. If you haven't switched to LED lighting, change out the stuff you use the most first, the stuff you don't use much last. You can save a ton of energy over the year and help reduce the overall pain. Buy good quality LED replacements (I like Philips... generic not as good).
8. Find a battery backup device which allows you to run A/C power (usually called "solar generators" even though they don't usually have solar, and are not generators"). Smallest units are best for charging phones. Largers ones ($) can run your fridge/freezer.
9. If you're in SCE territory, they are providing $50 rebates on Electric Portable Power Stations -- well worth it. Up to (5) rebates per address, if you need more than one. Cheapest stations around $130 (good for phone charging only) sce.com/residential/re…
10. Speaking of SCE, SCE is working on providing *free* "Critical Care Battery" systems to Medical Baseline customers in CARE of FERA in 2021. If you are one of those folks, make sure to contact them. ventura.org/departments/hs… 
11. If you can't afford solar+battery, yes, a generator is an option. But, it doesn't help the climate any (pollute like crazy), and when your whole community has no power, you can't refuel them (ie. useless when you run out of gas).
12. That said, if you are dependent on a water well, SCE appears to have a rebate for that one, too ($300, $500 if you are income qualified). sce.com/residential/re…
13. If you already have added extra insulation to your house, it's worth looking at putting a layer of radiant barrier in your attic to help even more. Do it while it's not hot out! energy.gov/energysaver/we…
If you're thinking "yeah yeah yeah why should I do this stuff now?" remember that 2020 was the second hottest year on historical record; the seven warmest years on record have all occurred since 2014. climate.gov/news-features/…
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