Texans are being asked to reduce their electric use as much as possible for the rest of the week as more plants were offline than typically expected, according to ERCOT. But no rolling outages are anticipated as of yesterday.
The conservation request is expected to last through Friday, June 18th. At one point Monday, electric demand was predicted to outpace supply as temperatures soar into the triple digits throughout the state, data from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas shows.
How to conserve energy
Under the conservation alert, ERCOT is asking residential consumers to:
- Set thermostat to 78 degrees or higher
- Close drapes and blinds
- Turn off and unplug nonessential devices like lights, pool pumps, etc.
- Avoid using larger appliances like ovens, dryers or washing machines
- Keep air vents clear of furniture and appliances
ERCOT added that every degree of cooling Texans use increases their energy use by 6 to 8%. This is easy- do your part!
