BRYAN, Texas — Temperatures in the Brazos Valley saw several 100-degree days across the area.
ERCOT issued a warning for June earlier in the month about the State seeing a peak demand in energy usage.
Meagan Brown, the Public Information Officer for Bryan Texas Utilities, said that there has been an increase in energy usage across Texas, even in areas like Bryan/College Station. Brown said that often, people are using energy to perform simple tasks around the house.
“We’re cooking dinner, we may be washing clothes, watching TV, all those things we do as we get home and hang out with our families and our friends. So it’s always good to conserve energy,” said Brown.
Brown said she has lived in Texas her entire life and understands how hot summers in Texas can be. Bryan Texas Utilities has serviced the Bryan/College Station area for years in terms of utilities being offered for homes in the community.
The Public Information Officer said that the BCS area saw 344 megawatts as a peak number for the area earlier in the week, where the number was previously at 343 megawatts.
“I will say, very preliminary, may have reached a peak yesterday, or the day before, but just barely,” said Brown.
Brown said that excessive energy usage could have an impact on the grid in terms of its ability to operate effectively and could cost customers more on their electric bills. To save money, Brown recommended several ways people can save energy in their homes whether they’re there or not.
According to Brown, people should turn off the lights in their homes whenever they’re not there as a means to save. One area she said that often gets overlooked is ceiling fans. Brown encourages people to turn off their ceiling fans when they’re not home.
When it comes to the thermostat, Brown said that people should consider bumping up the temperature by several degrees to fall between the mid-70s to 80 degrees but that people shouldn’t turn off the thermostat completely.
“We don’t recommend turning it off, especially in our area because you will build up the humidity in your home, and if you’re gone for a long time, it could contribute to mold and mildew and encourage that kind of growth,” said Brown.
As far as complete grid failure is concerned, Brown said that it is always a possibility, but unlikely for Texas and the Bryan/College Station area.
“Our forecasting that we have will have plenty of reserves to meet demands, but yes forecasting record demands to go along with these heat that we’re all experiencing,” said Brown.