Though Texas has experienced a more mild summer this year than in 2011, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas is once again asking residents to go easy on the air conditioning during peak hours.
Between 4 and 5 p.m. Tuesday, ERCOT — the grid operator for most of the state, handling electric distribution to 23 million customers — recorded an average electric demand of 65,047 megawatts. The use trounced the previous record set June 17 of last year, when use hit an average of 63,102 megawatts.
"As termperatures heat up throughout the state, electric use will follow closely," ERCOT CEO Trip Doggett said in a council news release. "We hope energy users will help again this year by reducing the amount of electricity they use during the hours between 3 and 7 p.m."
Suggestions by the council to conserve electricity include
-Turning thermostats up by two or three degrees in the late afternoon
-Turning the thermostat up at home while residents are away at work
-Setting pool pumps to run late at night or early in the morning
-Avoiding using large appliances, especially hot stoves and clothes dryers, during peak times
To stay up to date on ERCOT alerts, Texans can download ERCOT Energy Saver, a mobile app for Apple and Android devices that provides real-time conservation alerts or sign up for subscription-based EmergencyAlerts at http://lists.ercot.com.
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