Texas power grid: ERCOT issues another conservation appeal for Tuesday
HOUSTON - ERCOT is once again asking Texas residents and businesses to conserve electricity use, if safe to do so.
The conservation appeal has been issued from 5 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 29. ERCOT previously issued an appeal for four days straight from Thursday, Aug. 24 to Sunday, Aug. 27.
ERCOT: ERCOT issues Conservation Appeal; what should you know?
According to ERCOT, there is a high level of unexpected thermal generation outages and forecasted low wind generation. At this time, ERCOT says they are not experiencing emergency conditions at this time.
However, there is a potential to enter emergency operations this evening due current forecasts.
Houston-area customers should prepare and have a backup plan in place, especially those who rely on electricity for life-sustaining equipment.
ERCOT asks consumers to help the power grid by conserving energy, especially during peak hours of 5 to 9 p.m. and can do this by:
- Raising your thermostat by a degree or two, if safe to do so.
- Avoid using large appliances, such as washers/dryers and dishwashers.
- Turn off and unplug non-essential lights and appliances.
- Set pool pumps to run early morning or overnight; shut off during peak hours.
If conditions worsen, ERCOT may issue a directive to curtail power delivered to customers, which requires transmission and distribution utilities like CenterPoint Energy to implement controlled outages due to power generation shortfall.
Texans can see grid conditions and forecasts on the ERCOT dashboard.