San Antonio area utilities urge customers to cut down on power use

UPDATE 5:35 p.m.:

ERCOT now says there is no longer an emergency and thanks everyone for conserving power.

ORIGINAL:

SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) — The heat and expect load on the state’s electrical grid is causing the top power officials in Texas to heed a big warning: save power.

“When the energy demands of our state’s steadily growing population and booming economy intersect with hot summer temperatures, the supply of power can get a little tight, so we’re calling on Texans to help moderate demand for electricity with a few simple choices during the late afternoon hours this week,” said DeAnn Walker, Chairman of the Public Utility Commission of Texas.

The commission, along with ERCOT, are urging people to cut back on their power use Tuesday afternoon until 7 p.m.

That means increasing the temperature on the thermostat to 78 degrees, unplugging unnecessary appliances and even turning off the pool pump for a few hours.

“High temperatures have resulted in record electricity demand over the last few days and may result in a new record today,” said ERCOT President and CEO Bill Magness. “Consumers can help lower energy consumption by taking some simple actions between the hours of 3:00 and 7:00 p.m.”

CPS Energy and NBU are both urging customers to follow through and cut back power.

The San Antonio utility company warned that failing to do so could lead to rotating outages.  New Braunfels’ utility company said rotating outages are not likely.

However, both warned that the state is very close to its electricity cap and rolling outages are possible.