SAN ANTONIO – This summer has been one for the record books.
As of Aug. 21, we have seen 55 total 100 degree days and the summer isn’t over yet.
The sheer amount of heat we are experiencing is putting a strain on our electric grid, but not a big enough strain to be worried about power outages.
Tom Overbye, Director of Texas A&M University’s Smart Grid Center, says the record-breaking heat is also breaking records for our electric load.
Electric load is measured by how much power we use in gigawatts.
Last year at this time, the gigawatt usage hit a record of 80 gigawatts in a day. This year, the daily gigawatt usage has been recorded at 84 gigawatts for multiple days.
This means people are using air conditioners and other electronic appliances more this year than last.
“If you wanted to decrease your electric bill, you can increase your air conditioner setting, you know, turn off unneeded appliances, things like that. But, we’re not in a situation where people have to conserve,” Overbye said.
CPS Energy says they are seeing higher rates of electricity bills this summer because of the heat.
“We haven’t seen the high temperatures result in power outages for our community and we’ve been able to have enough supply for demand,” said Dana Soteoodoh, Public Relations Manager at CPS Energy.
There are a few things CPS Energy says you can do to help save energy. Those include:
- Setting your thermostat 2°-3° higher from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Use a fan and set it to counterclockwise, this can lower the temperature in a room by 4°-6°.
- Set pool pumps to run early morning or overnight.
- Turn off and unplug any non-essential appliances and lights.
- Avoid using any large appliances during the middle of the day.
Another thing that can help with your bill is solar panels. Overbye said the use of solar panels also decreases power grid usage.