ERCOT Reports Record Week In Electricity Demand
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AUSTIN (CBSDFW.COM) -- Dry, hot weather and a stronger economy and has led to a record setting week in electricity demand according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT).
ERCOT said they set "four consecutive daily records for July electric demand this week and may set more records by the end of the summer" in a statement released Friday.
"As the Texas economy continues to thrive, ERCOT serves some of the fastest-growing cities in the country," said ERCOT Senior VP and COO Brad Jones. "Population and business growth continue to drive up electric use."
Usage was so high at one point this week, that ERCOT issued a conservation appeal Thursday and set a new record of 67,624 megawatts (MW) that afternoon according to the release. ERCOT said one MW is enough electricity to power about 200 homes during peak demand.
"Although we are still not seeing temperatures as high as 2011, lack of rain during the past several weeks has resulted in drier ground and temperatures reaching their highest levels thus far this summer," said ERCOT meteorologist Chris Coleman. "We have seen triple digits in several cities this week, including Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin."
Jones said that they appreciate customer responses to their conservation requests and that some outages are inevitable. Jones said, "The system overall has performed well, with more than 71,000 MW available during yesterday's peak."
Consumers can monitor ERCOT system conditions here or through the ERCOT Energy Saver mobile app, available free for Apple or Android devices.
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