AUSTIN, Texas — ERCOT is asking Texans to voluntarily conserve electricity Tuesday afternoon as temperatures continue to reach up into the triple digits.
ERCOT has issued a voluntary conservation notice from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. due to extreme heat and forecasted record demand. They added that they are not in emergency operations at this time.
ERCOT believes the grid should have enough power to handle the record demand Tuesday. A big part of that energy experts say is thanks to all the renewable energy generators, like solar and wind Texas has added over the years, doing their job to keep A/Cs going in the extreme heat.
While ERCOT’s request is voluntary, that doesn’t mean you don’t want to conserve at home especially if you are looking to cut down on energy bills.
Here are a few tips:
- Close the curtains or blinds, because up to 30 percent of the heat in your homes, comes through the windows.
- Run ceiling fans counterclockwise when it's hot to properly move air around.
- Turn up the thermostat a degree or two.
If you're going to be gone for the day, experts say to keep your A/C on since turning it off to save money doesn't work in the long run.
Rather they suggest you bump it up a few degrees higher.
Here's a real-time look at how the Texas power grid is holding up
Anytime the Texas power grid is the subject of a conservation advisory, or when the weather turns extreme in the Lone Star State, it's a good time to check on supply and demand.
The ERCOT has a dashboard that allows you to monitor real-time grid conditions.
This is a real-time look at the supply of power and demand, as reported by ERCOT. It also shows projected supply and demand, based on forecast.
ERCOT is tracking the state of the grid, as well as the state of the operating reserve.
There are several more real-time monitors that you can check on ERCOT's site, including system-wide demand, solar, current prices, and more.