The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) is expecting a significantly high usage of energy Wednesday morning due to low overnight temperatures.
ERCOT said Wednesday’s peak is forecasted to occur between 7 and 8 a.m.
The council stated they expected the usage overnight to be historical throughout the state of Texas.
ERCOT gave the following tips for consumers to help conserve energy.
- Keep your thermostat as low as comfortably possible, preferably no higher than 68 degrees.
- Turn off and unplug non-essential lights and appliances.
- Avoid running large appliances such as washers, dryers and electric ovens during peak energy demand hours (6 to 10 a.m. and 6 to 10 p.m. in the winter).
- Close shades and blinds at night to reduce the amount of heat lost through windows, and open them during the day to let the heat from the sun come in.
- Businesses should minimize the use of electric lighting and electricity-consuming equipment as much as possible.
- Large consumers of electricity should consider shutting down or reducing non-essential production processes.
ERCOT manages the flow of electric power for nearly 24 million Texas customers, representing about 90 percent of the state’s electric load.