ERCOT issues conservation appeal to Texans

TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The Electric Reliability Council of Texas has issued a conservation appeal, asking Texans to voluntarily conserve energy on until 8 p.m. Monday.

The conservation notice was issued on Sunday, due to the record high demand for electricity, mixed with low winds. 

ERCOT said that system-wide outages are not expected.

"Unfortunately, it's only mid-July and we may have a little bit of this to come," said Bruce Bullock, director of the Maguire Energy Institute at the SMU Cox School of Business.

To conserve energy, ERCOT recommends that Texans turn up their thermostat by as much as one or two degrees, unplugging unused appliances and postponing running major appliances or pool pumps during peak hours. Using blinds and curtains to avoid direct sunlight also helps.

"Conservation is always a good thing," said Wayne Morrison with Reliant Energy. "And we always look for ways that we can lower our usage and the overall cost… Those are the type of things we can do every year, and the overall impact of the grid is lessened, so that helps all Texans."

After the grid failed during the winter storm of February 2021, people seem to be more sensitive to these types of alerts.

"Once burned, twice cautious," Bullock said. "I think everybody is concerned now and paying attention to that, and rightfully so. It's difficult, and maybe that's a good thing in the sense that people will pay attention to this and conserve a little bit even though it's somewhat of a bitter pill to swallow."

Bullock says conserving energy isn't a long-term solution to the issues plaguing the grid.

"It's going to take a couple of years before the actual structural problems are fixed," said Bullock. "In the meantime, we don't have too many other options other than to try to conserve it."

Portions of North Texas are under an excessive heat warning and other portions are under a heat advisory through 9 p.m. Monday.