ERCOT issues conservation request Saturday ahead of expected tight grid conditions

ERCOT and the Public Utility Commission of Texas are asking Texans to reduce their electricity use, if safe to do so, Saturday afternoon. This is due to extreme temperatures and expected low wind power and potential low solar generation.

ERCOT's Conservation Appeal is in effect Saturday, August 26 from 3 p.m. until 9 p.m. CT. The agency said they are not experiencing emergency conditions, but high demand for electricity will result in anticipated low operating reserves for the Texas power grid this afternoon and into the evening.

Yesterday emergent operations were avoided due to Texas residents and business efforts to conserve energy, along with additional grid reliability tools.

"ERCOT continues to use additional tools to manage the grid reliably, including using reserve power, calling upon reductions by large electric customers that have volunteered to lower their energy use, and bringing more generation online sooner. ERCOT is also working with out-of-state Independent System Operators (ISOs) and Market Participants to obtain additional power generation capacity."

Conservation is a widely used industry tool that can help lower demand on the power grid for a specific peak time.

Saturday, Aug. 20 ERCOT set a new all-time weekend peak demand record of 84,805 MW. In 2022, the Aug. peak demand was 78,465 MW. This summer, ERCOT has set 10 new all-time peak demand records. Last summer, ERCOT set 11 new peak demand records.

Beyond becoming fatigued with calls to turn up their thermostats on brutally hot days, University of Houston Energy Fellow Ed Hirs said the narrowing gap between demand and capacity will eventually impact consumers' wallets.

“These wholesale prices that we're seeing in the market are unprecedented at $5,000 per megawatt hour, and that works out to $5 a kilowatt hour. And sure, not everybody is going to be charged that, but that does eventually have an impact on the market. Either it gets passed through to you next month, or it's going to show up when you go and renew your plan," said Hirs.

WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP?

ERCOT and the PUCT are asking Texans to take simple power conservation steps to reduce demand on the grid.

• Raise the thermostat by a degree or two, if safe to do so.
• Avoid using large appliances like washers and dryers.
• Turn off and unplug non-essential lights and appliances.
• Set pool pumps to run early morning or overnight instead of peak hours.

The PUCT's Power to Save website has tips for reducing electricity use in homes and businesses and other energy-saving tips are available at TXANS (ercot.com).

WHY THE REQUEST TO VOLUNTARILY REDUCE USAGE?

• Extreme Heat: Much of Texas is seeing a return to extreme temperatures today.
• Record Demand: Texas is seeing near-record demand due to the heat.
• Solar: Solar generation declines into the evening hours, before completely going offline at sunset.
• Wind: Lower wind generation is forecasted for this afternoon and evening during peak demand times.

TO STAY UP TO DATE

• Sign up for TXANS notifications on the TXANS
• Download the ERCOT Mobile App for additional notifications: iOS| Android.
• Monitor real-time and extended conditions at ercot.com.
• Subscribe to ERCOT Emergency Alerts which are not sent through TXANS notifications.
• Follow ERCOT on Twitter (@ERCOT_ISO), Facebook (Electric Reliability Council of Texas), and LinkedIn (ERCOT).