News

ERCOT Issues Conservation Appeal Monday During Peak Hours

July 11, 2022

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) is issuing a Conservation Appeal, asking Texans and Texas businesses to voluntarily conserve electricity, Monday, July 11 between 2-8 p.m. ERCOT also issued a Watch for a projected reserve capacity shortage from 2-8 p.m. At this time, ERCOT states no system-wide outages are expected.

According to ERCOT, the factors driving the need for this important action by customers include:

  • Record high electric demand. The heat wave that has settled on Texas and much of the central United States is driving increased electric use. Other grid operators are operating under similar conservative operations programs as ERCOT due to the heatwave.
  • Low wind. While solar power is generally reaching near full generation capacity, wind generation is currently generating significantly less than what it historically generated in this time period. Current projections show wind generation coming in less than 10 percent of its capacity.

You can get more information on grid conditions at ercot.com.

Here are some conservation tips to help ease strain on the electric grid:

  • Set your thermostat at 78 degrees or higher. Each degree lower increases your energy use by 6 to 8 percent.
  • If you have central air and heat, do not close vents in unused rooms. This could increase pressure and cause duct leaks.
  • If you have a window unit, close off unused rooms.
  • Point fans in your direction. Fans blowing directly on you can make temperatures around you feel about 4 degrees cooler. In the summer, ceiling fan blades should move counterclockwise to push cool air downward.
  • Close shades and curtains on windows hit by direct sunlight to prevent heat from getting indoors.
  • Avoid turning on the oven during the hottest time of the day.
  • Unplug appliances, chargers and electronic devices when you are not using them. They use energy even when they are turned off.

You can find more conservation tips at austinenergy.com/go/summer.

Cooling Centers are operated during daylight hours to coincide with peak temperatures. Overnight cooling shelters are dependent upon widespread power outages and estimated time of power restoration. Find information on Cooling Centers at austintexas.gov/alerts.

Be Prepared

The best time to prepare for outages and an emergency is before they happen. Now is a good time to:

  • Check and assemble an emergency supply kit.
  • Make sure any external batteries you have are charged.
  • Sign up for outage text alerts at outagemap.austinenergy.com.

Find more preparedness information at austinenergy.com/ae/outages/prepare-for-outages.