ERCOT, puc urging Texans to conserve electricity during peak freeze times

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas on Sunday asked residents to conserve energy as parts of Texas plunged well below the freezing mark, and with cold weather libel to linger, more such requests were likely in the forecast as well.

Sure enough, by Monday afternoon the Public Utility Commission of Texas was echoing ERCOT’s calls for conservation for Tuesday, as well as looking down the road toward the weekend.

Citing wintery weather, high demand, and unseasonably low winds, ERCOT and the PUC asked Texans to conserve their electricity use between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. both Monday and Tuesday as the organizations anticipated operating reserves will be low during those hours.

In a statement issued Sunday, ERCOT said the conservation appeal did not indicate it was experiencing emergency conditions but added it would “remain vigilant and communicate further if conditions change.”

Before Sunday’s alert, ERCOT previously said it did not anticipate mandatory conservation efforts during this week’s cold snap.

ERCOT forecasts peak demand during this week’s cold snap to occur at 8 a.m. Tuesday and reach more than 81,000 megawatts, with another dip below freezing still in the forecast for Friday and Saturday.

Peak demand in January 2023 was 65,632 megawatts.