Texans Urged To Cut Electricity Use Again By ERCOT

AUSTIN, TX — As a heat wave continues to prop up temperatures in the triple digits, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas is urging Texans to cut their power use for the second time in three days.

ERCOT issued a conservation appeal late Wednesday morning asking people in the state to voluntary conserve electricity between 2 and 8 p.m. Wednesday. ERCOT recommends turning up thermostats a degree or two and postponing running major appliances or pool pumps during expected peak hours.

System-wide outages are not expected, according to the state's power grid operator. ERCOT also reported Texans reduced electricity use by 500 megawatts Monday, helping meet record demand.

Other factors in ERCOT's decision to issue the conservation appeal include lower outputs from wind than usual at this time of year, cloud cover in West Texas causing a reduction in solar power generation, and the number of forced outages in thermal energy exceeding forecasts.

Much of Texas, including all four major metros in the state, is under a heat advisory issued by the National Weather Service on Wednesday. Temperatures in many parts of the state are expected to reach well above 100 degrees with heat indices expected above 108 degrees.

The highest day of electric use so far has already surpassed ERCOT's projected peak demand a month earlier than predicted, according to the Austin American-Statesman.

If the situation worsens, ERCOT can institute rolling blackouts like it did during the 2021 winter freeze that forced millions of Texans to go without power for extended periods and resulted in hundreds of deaths.