The California power grid operator told the public to prepare to conserve energy next week if needed as homes and businesses crank up their air conditioners to escape what is forecast to be a brutal heatwave. Already, power prices across the U.S. West spiked to their highest since the February freeze when natural gas pipelines and wind turbines froze in Texas leaving millions without power. The California ISO, which operates the state’s power grid, said in a release that “It is still too early to know the precise impact that next week’s high temperatures will have on the electric grid.” But the ISO said it will notify the public if it needs to take steps to reduce electricity use, including a call for public conservation and if the grid becomes seriously stressed, rotating outages. Last summer, a heatwave in August forced California utilities to impose rotating blackouts that left over …