The governing body that manages the state’s power grid is calling on Texans to conserve energy Tuesday afternoon and evening as demand approaches available supply.
The Texas Electric Reliability Council tweeted at 4:42 p.m. Tuesday, asking consumers and businesses to cut their power usage until the evening.
The high temperatures in much of North Texas were in the upper 70s and low 80s Tuesday afternoon.
“As a result of a combination of high-generation outages typical of April and higher-than-expected demand from a stalled cold front over Texas, ERCOT could face emergencies this afternoon,” said Woody Rickerson, ERCOT’s vice president of Grid Planning and Operations. in a statement. “Given the event in February, it is important to note that we do not expect customer outages. This emergency statement gives us earlier access to tools that bring supply and demand back into line. “
ERCOT proposed the following steps to save energy.
- Turn off unnecessary lights and equipment.
- Turn the thermostat up 2 to 3 degrees.
- Set programmable thermostats to higher temperatures when no one is home.
- Use fans to feel 4 to 6 degrees cooler.
- Limit the use of large appliances (eg Dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, etc.).
- If you’re cooking indoors, use a microwave or slow cooker.
- Close the blinds and curtains in the late afternoon.
- Schedule pool pumps to run in the early morning or at night.
This is a story in development, please check back for updates.