The Brownsville Public Utilities Board (BPUB) announces that electrical conservation is being requested by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) starting today, August 25, 2023, between 3-9 PM due to high demand throughout Texas because of sustained heat.
ERCOT advised BPUB that it is not experiencing emergency conditions, but the state is seeing record electrical demand due to very high temperatures across the state.
As of Friday afternoon, the temperature in Brownsville was 94 degrees.
The call for voluntary conservation is being used to help lower demand during a specific peak demand time – in this case, 3-9 p.m. ERCOT says it is using reserve power, asking large electric customers to reduce usage, and bringing more generation online sooner to ensure electric supply meets the state’s demands.
Here are some ways that customers can conserve electricity:
- Turn up thermostats on air conditioning units a couple of 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 (3-9 p.m.)