The Electric Reliability Council of Texas canceled an urgent call to Texans to reduce electric use Friday morning.
The original request was to expire Friday at noon; the update was released an hour earlier at 11 a.m.
“Since the peak demand hours have passed and sufficient generation is available to serve expected power demand in the ERCOT region, we do not see a need for additional conservation measures to protect the grid at this time,” said Ken McIntyre, ERCOT vice president for Grid Planning and Operations.
Electric demand during the peak hour Thursday night was 56,673 megawatts (MW) and Friday morning was 54,156 MW, compared to the 57,277 MW preliminary winter record set the morning of Jan. 7.
“We are grateful for consumers’ support during the extreme cold that has increased the demand for power and limited generation capacity throughout the ERCOT region,” said McIntyre. “The steps consumers took to reduce demand on the power grid kept electric use below the records set earlier this year, and generation companies were able to provide sufficient generation to serve those needs.”
When calls for conservation are made, ERCOT reminds Texans that they can help ensure the grid remains able to continue serving current power needs by taking the following steps to reduce demand on the system:
- Keep your thermostat as low as is comfortable, preferably no higher than 68 degrees.
- Turn off and unplug nonessential lights and appliances.
- Avoid running large appliances such as washers, dryers and electric ovens during peak energy demand hours (6-9 a.m. and 4-8 p.m.).
- Close shades and blinds at night to reduce the amount of heat lost through windows.
- Large consumers of electricity should consider shutting down or reducing nonessential production processes.
- Businesses should minimize the use of electric lighting and electricity-consuming equipment as much as possible.
