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Demand is hitting an all-time high for Con Edison as record temperatures lead to record energy usage.

"The current load, as we see it, on Con Ed's system is about 13,170 megawatts, which is a record for them,” said Joseph Bruno of the Office of Emergency Management.

As a result, Con Ed reduced voltage by five percent in neighborhoods all across the City.

Areas in all five boroughs were affected.

People were being asked to conserve power by turning air conditioners down and avoiding using appliances like dish washers and washing machines in the daytime hours.

"To this point I think the system has been performing well, but as expected we've been having some scattered outages throughout the city, and we expect it to continue probably throughout the weekend until we get through this heat wave," said Carlos Torres of Con Ed.

The city activated its Office of Emergency Management, pulling multiple agencies under one roof to respond to the heat wave.

It also extended hours for public pools and urged people to take advantage of cooling centers.

For those who had the day off, the city's beaches were the destination of choice.

Some even ventured into the water despite some trepidation.

"I'm going into the water,” said one beachgoer. “I hate New York water, but it's hot. The sand is burning, I'm having fun with my boogie board. I'm having a great day."

“Well I’m a surfer, so I always find a way to get in the water or something like that to stay cool, but this isn’t the hottest. Come August, this’ll be a different story. Everybody’ll be angry about the heat then,” said another.

Even by the beach along the boardwalk, heat and intense humidity made it difficult to catch a break.

"The humidity is just over the top today, it's hard to breathe,” said another. “But you know the beach — today is the perfect weather to go to the beach. If you're hot, you jump in the water and that's it."

City officials warn that those looking to beat the heat should not swim in the ocean without lifeguards present.

For tips on how to deal with the heat or to find the nearest cooling center, call 311 or visit nyc.gov/oem.