Due to the extreme hot weather in Texas combined less-than-normal wind generation, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) is requesting Texans to conserve electricity on Monday, July 11, 2022, especially between 2-8 p.m.
ERCOT manages the flow of electric power to about 90% of Texas' electric load, including all of Medina EC's service area. Here is wording from ERCOT's alert: "With extreme hot weather driving record power demand across Texas, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) is issuing a Conservation Appeal, asking Texans and Texas businesses to voluntarily conserve electricity, Monday, July 11 between 2-8 p.m. ERCOT also issued a Watch for a projected reserve capacity shortage from 2-8 p.m. At this time, no system-wide outages are expected."
At this time, ERCOT is only issuing a conservation request. The conditions on the power grid can change quickly. If ERCOT enters into an energy emergency, we will provide updates as soon as possible.
All consumers are asked to help by conserving electricity. Please watch for updates at MedinaEC.org.
Conservation Tips:
- Adjust your thermostat one-to-two degrees higher than normal.
- Use fans to feel cooler; turn them off when you leave the room.
- Limit use of large appliances (i.e., dishwasher, washer, dryer, etc.), especially between 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Make any small changes you can to save electricity in your home or business.
Track Electricity Demand on the ERCOT Grid:
- View daily peak demand forecast, current load, and available generation at http://www.ercot.com.
- Follow ERCOT on Twitter (@ERCOT_ISO) and Facebook (Electric Reliability Council of Texas).
- Sign up for the ERCOT mobile app (Google Play or App Store).
- Subscribe to the EmergencyAlerts list on http://lists.ercot.com.
Notifications:
As always, Medina EC will monitor ERCOT grid conditions, conservation requests and energy emergencies. If emergency requests that involve forced outages for consumers are made by ERCOT, Medina EC will comply with those as required and will send notifications as quickly as humanly possible*. Please ensure the contact information on your account are correct. You can do that through SmartHub or by calling us at 1-866-632-3532.
Notifications include:
- Email to accounts with email addresses on file.
- Social media posts.
- News item to our website.
- Text messages to consumers signed up for MEC ERCOT text notifications. Sign up by texting ERCOT to 1-855-429-1119.
- You are also encouraged to sign up to receive push notifications directly from ERCOT. You can do this by downloading the ERCOT app (Google Play or App Store) and enable push notifications for alerts.
*Please note: Notices are sent out as quickly as humanly possible, but the situation on the grid can change very quickly. If ERCOT's reserve margins reach critical condition and ERCOT calls for load shed, the outages may begin before all notifications are able to be sent out. Phone lines are likely to be overwhelmed.