BRAZOS COUNTY, Texas — ERCOT has declared the state of Texas reached its highest energy emergency level early Monday morning. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas oversees the state's electric grid and began doing rolling outages just before 2 a.m. Some have lost power due to the winter storm through out the state and others are being affect by these rolling outages.
ERCOT says people across the state will see 15 to 45 minutes without power as it conserves energy circuit by circuit. Some people have been without power for much longer, and they may be affected by an outage due to the storm, according to Bryan Texas Utilities.
Don't call the police on the power companies. Just a tip:
Here's a rundown of what power companies in the Brazos Valley are reporting. We've linked the name of the company to it's outage map viewer, however, many companies are experiencing outage maps not loading due to many users trying to access it.
Serves Bryan. Reporting more than 23,000 outages in the area. Some are due to these rolling outages and some are due to the winter storm.
Serves Burleson, Lee, and Washington Counties, as well as several central Texas counties. The company is reporting more than 6,000 outages.
Serves College Station. Outages are being reported across the city, however, some residents we talked to said it appeared power gets restored, only to go out again.
Serves Grimes, Madison, Montgomery and Walker counties. It is reporting more than 2,000 outages across its customers.
Serves Brazos, Leon, Madison and Robertson counties, as well as several central Texas counties. It is reporting more than 10,000 outages.
How long will this last?
The demand for electricity will be at its highest for Monday and Tuesday, according to ERCOT. The rolling outages will last until the severe threat has passed and with a storm expected to move in Tuesday into Wednesday, it could be all week.
Customers can generally expect outages to last 15-45 minutes, if they are truly being impacted by a "rolling outage." However, your area may be affected by an actual power outage, and crews are working to restore power as quickly as possible.
Requests from ERCOT to reduce power usage
- Turn down thermostats to 68-degrees.
- Close shades and blinds to reduce the amount of heat lost through windows.
- Turn off and unplug non-essential lights and appliances.
- Avoid using large appliances (i.e., ovens, washing machines, etc.).
- Businesses should minimize the use of electric lighting and electricity-consuming equipment as much as possible.
- Large consumers of electricity should consider shutting down or reducing non-essential production processes.
Here's how to stay warm during a winter power outage
If you're stuck without power during a winter storm, there are things you can do to keep warm. Here's some tips from the National Weather Service:
- Close blinds or curtains to keep in some heat.
- Close off rooms to avoid wasting heat.
- Wear layers of loose-fitting, lightweight, warm clothing.
- Eat and drink. Food provides energy to warm the body. Avoid caffeine and alcohol.
- Stuff towels or rags in cracks under the doors.
REMEMBER! Make sure you have battery operated smoke detectors AND carbon monoxide detectors.