CPS Energy customers frustrated, concerned about vulnerable community members amid shifting outages

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio CPS Energy customers say they are concerned about the elderly and sick neighbors who will be without power during the state’s ongoing rotating power outages.

Carlos Correa has regularly checked his 90-year-old neighbors since they had been without power since 2am on Monday morning due to constant intermittent power cuts. He says his calls to CPS Energy for answers as to when power would be restored have gone unanswered.

‘We called everyone. CPS Energy has no one to talk to, no one to give us any kind of information, even when our electricity comes back on, ”Correa told KSAT Monday evening. “ How much we pay for our electricity usage every month, (they’re) just so unprepared with anyone, with any type of customer service or emergency response center to give us some sort of answer as to when we’re getting some kind of electricity back. “

CPS Energy: Most customers are subject to varying outages if the winter weather persists

CPS Energy says energy demand has been up to four times higher than expected. Some systems have been affected by high demand and others by equipment failure due to the cold temperatures.

CPS Energy CEO Paula Gold-Williams said every energy system across the state is under strain.

“We are absolutely sorry that this is happening. It’s an unprecedented weather event that we thought the cold weather was over, ”said Gold-Williams.

Rudy Garza of CPS Energy says CPS Energy reaches its customers through all social media platforms, calls and emails. The utility also says it is contacting the elderly and sick on their list.

“In some cases we have made automated calls to customers in this group to let them know that if they get into a medical emergency, their home might get too cold or their oxygen tank is running low or something happens, call 911 and get medical help. help, ”said Garza.

While temperatures will continue to affect energy use, CPS Energy expects outages to continue, so the company is urging customers to make plans.

Correa urges others to check in with their neighbors as well.

On Monday evening, Gold-Williams released the following statement:

“We hope to see improvements overnight, but we face unprecedented challenges. Our focus tonight is to restore consistency to the grid. Conservation is important and we ask our community to continue to do everything in their power to limit the energy consumption of electricity and natural gas. We understand that this is a big question from our customers and we sincerely apologize for the problems it causes them. Our customers are our neighbors, families and friends, and we do everything we can to make sure we make things better for everyone. “

“Alternate outages started in the state around 1:30 am Monday morning. Network operators make real-time decisions based on real-time information from ERCOT, and these decisions are made in a non-discriminatory manner. While it is becoming increasingly difficult to accommodate, utility companies are working to conserve power for critical functions (i.e. hospitals, government agencies, etc.) to limit the impact on those facilities. This outage management process, which runs in the same time frame in major cities across the state, can and should re-stabilize the grid.

“Know that all participants in the ERCOT grid take the same measures. The extreme weather has resulted in record-breaking energy consumption across the state. With energy savings from outage management, CPS Energy used more than 4,954 MW yesterday, which was a winter record. Had the outages not been proactively managed so far, winter energy demand would have exceeded summer maximums for the first time in CPS Energy’s history.

To keep residents off the road and safe, CPS Energy’s walk-in centers will be closed on Tuesday, February 16, 2021. In addition, the parks and lakes of Braunig and Calaveras will be closed until further notice. “

The utility has given customers the following tips for staying warm and saving energy:

Keep warm by dressing in loose-fitting clothing instead of a single thick layer.
Wear a hat, even indoors. Keeping your head warm keeps your body warm.
Wear gloves or mittens to keep your hands warm, and wear a scarf to keep your neck warm.
Use towels to block drafts around doors and windows.
Be extremely careful when using gasoline generators. Do not use a generator in your home or any other occupied building. Only use generators outdoors and make sure the exhaust is directed away from your home.
Do not use camping stoves or outdoor grills indoors, including in your garage. These can cause carbon monoxide to build up in your home and lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.
Save power on your mobile phone in an emergency. Some tips for saving batteries are:
- Lower the backlight
- Turn off Bluetooth
- Close all unused applications
- If possible, use text to communicate instead of making a call
- If you have several cell phones in the house, leave one phone on for emergency updates and turn the other off to save battery.
Unplug sensitive equipment during a power outage, including televisions, computers, and other electronics that help protect against voltage irregularities that can occur when power is restored.
If you have medications that need to be refrigerated, contact your pharmacist for instructions on storage during an extended power outage.
If you have a garage door opener, read the instructions for opening the garage door manually.
Be extra careful when you are outside in snowy conditions. Downed power lines can be hidden by snow, trees or other debris. Always assume that a failed power line is live. If you see a failed power line, stay away and call us immediately at 210-353-4357 (HELP).

Stay informed

As always, your weather authority team will keep you informed. You can get the very latest weather forecast anytime by bookmarking our weather page and downloading the KSAT Weather Authority app – available for both Apple and Android devices.

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