The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) declared an Energy Emergency Alert (EEA) Level 3. An EEA Level 3 means rotating outages will begin because there is not enough power available to keep up with consumer demand. ERCOT will now ask regional providers to turn off electricity to some neighborhoods for 15 to 30 minutes at a time.
Officials earlier this week were concerned that as temperatures dropped further, the grid will not be able to support all the demands placed on it.
"There’s certainly a possibility we could have to do rotating outages," said Dan Woodfin, senior director of system operations at ERCOT. "We believe we may have to tomorrow [Monday] and Tuesday. That is a little more likely."
Texas has already seen record-breaking electricity demands during this historic cold snap, ERCOT officials said.
Here are a few small steps to reduce power consumption in your home to help ease demand on the grid:
- Turn down your thermostat to 68 degrees
- Keep lights off when not in a room
- Unplug appliances not in use
- Avoid using large appliances like washing machines, esp. during peak times
- Close off heat escape routes like drafty doors or fireplace dampers (when not in use)
- Set your ceiling fan to rotate clockwise to force warm air downwards
- Close blinds and shades at night to keep out cold air. Open them during the day to allow sunshine in.
