Ballpark & Cowboys Stadium Asked To Conserve Energy
ARLINGTON (CBSDFW.COM) - The left field upper deck was home to the hottest seats at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington Friday night. It's no wonder they were empty for the first four innings of the game with the Cleveland Indians.
When Ranger fan Jarred Oster was told by an attendant that he could move to a seat in the shade, life got a bit cooler. "The heat was ridiculous. It was honestly ridiculous. I'm real glad they told us to go up top," said a relieved Oster.
It may have been one of the hottest nights at the Ballpark in years, and yet Rangers fans were still doing their part, cheering on the home team.
The Rangers say they're doing their part as well, by cutting back on electricity. Ballpark Operations shut down one of four chilling towers used to cool offices, restaurants and other enclosed areas inside the ballpark. "We brought it down and we monitored the temperature of our chilled water to make sure it didn't go higher than it needs to be," explained Ballpark Operations Vice President Rob Matwick.
Operations is also turning off the air conditioning for any suites that go unused each night. They're doing the same for concession stands.
Over at Cowboys Stadium, chilling towers run at night, instead of the day when the need to conserve energy is greatest. For guided tours, temperatures on the field are being kept in the low 80s and in the high 80s in the upper deck.
Despite both having events, the ballpark and stadium both expect to make it through the weekend without any energy problems. The Rangers says their concern will be next week with their home stand against the Mariners. ERCOT has already said they expect usage to spike again Monday, making the threat of rolling blackouts possible across North Texas.
