Cut AC use, says ERCOT

For the second time in the current triple-digit heat spell, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the state’s primary power grid operator, urged customers on Thursday to reduce electricity usage during peak hours between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.

For most people, that means cutting back on air conditioning, probably not what they want to do.

ERCOT records for energy usage have been broken several times in recent weeks, dropping operating reserves and triggering the conservation alert.

Of course, the best thing to do is to heed the warning.

If reserves dip too low, ERCOT would first reduce supplies to large commercial/industrial users that have agreed to interruptions during an emergency.

The final step, which everyone wants to avoid, would be “rotating outages, ” neighborhood service interruptions lasting 15-45 minutes at a time before moving to the next neighborhood.

Long-term, the way to avoid these conditions is to increase power supplies across the ERCOT grid.

There are new power plants scheduled to come online, including modern plants that can be fired up on short notice.

Part of what ERCOT and the Public Utility Commission have to do is encourage supply that keeps up with demand.

This story was originally published August 13, 2015 at 5:58 PM with the headline "Cut AC use, says ERCOT."