SAN ANTONIO – The Electric Reliability Council of Texas is urging locals to reduce electricity use due to the extreme heat.
The voluntary conservation notice is in effect Sunday from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. due to “extreme temperatures, continued high demand and unexpected loss of thermal generation,” ERCOT said.
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All government agencies, which include city and county offices, are also being urged to reduce energy use at their facilities.
ERCOT said it is not experiencing emergency conditions at this time, but the reduction in energy usage can help lower the strain the power grid.
Anyone who is experiencing an outage is urged to check with their local electric provider for more information.
On Saturday, ERCOT said it saw a new all-time weekend peak demand record of 84,805 MW. Last year, the peak demand in August was 78,465.
Already this summer, ERCOT said it has set 10 new all-time peak demand records.
Shared below are some energy-saving tips from the Texas Advisory and Notification System:
- Raise your thermostat by a degree or two, if safe to do so.
- Avoid using large appliances (i.e., washer/dryer etc.).
- Turn off and unplug non-essential lights and appliances.
- Set pool pumps to run early morning or overnight; shut off during peak hours.
- Commercial Business: Turn off any lights and office equipment (or place in sleep mode) when space not in use
- Commercial Business: Turn off air-conditioning/heating outside of business hours.