What to Know
- Texans are being asked to reduce their electricity use on Tuesday evening
- ERCOT is not under emergency conditions
- Conservation is needed between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. Tuesday
ERCOT is asking Texans to reduce their electricity use, if safe to do so, on Tuesday evening. This is due to a high level of unexpected thermal generation outages and forecasted low wind power generation.
ERCOT's Conservation Appeal is in effect Tuesday, Aug. 29 from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m.
The grid is not experiencing emergency conditions, but forecasts indicate a potential to enter emergency operations this evening according to an ERCOT statement.
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Conservation is a widely used industry tool that can help lower demand on the power grid for a specific peak time.
WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP?
ERCOT is asking Texans to take simple power conservation steps to reduce demand on the grid.
- Raise the thermostat by a degree or two, if safe to do so.
- Avoid using large appliances like washers and dryers.
- Turn off and unplug non-essential lights and appliances.
- Set pool pumps to run early morning or overnight instead of peak hours.
The PUCT's Power to Save website has tips for reducing electricity use in homes and businesses and other energy-saving tips are available at TXANS (ercot.com).
Why the Request to Reduce Usage?
- Wind. Wind generation is forecasted to be lower this afternoon/evening during peak demand time.
- Thermal Generation. High level of unexpected thermal generation outages.
TO STAY UP TO DATE
- Sign up for TXANS notifications on the TXANS
- Download the ERCOT Mobile App for additional notifications: iOS| Android.
- Monitor real-time and extended conditions at ercot.com.
- Subscribe to ERCOT Emergency Alerts which are not sent through TXANS notifications.
- Follow ERCOT on Twitter (@ERCOT_ISO), Facebook (Electric Reliability Council of Texas), and LinkedIn (ERCOT).
