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February 14, 2021 / bpub / Comments Off on ERCOT Requests Electric Conservation

ERCOT Requests Electric Conservation

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Brownsville, TX –With extreme cold weather across Texas, Brownsville Public Utilities (BPUB) customers are encouraged to reduce their electricity as much as possible Sunday, Feb. 14 through Tuesday, Feb. 16 to help decrease the risk of electricity emergencies. On Sunday, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) instructed BPUB, along with the other electric utilities statewide, to request local conservation.

As temperatures continue to dip across Texas, ERCOT says that it is seeing record-breaking electric demand while dealing with higher-than-normal generation outages due to frozen wind turbines and limited natural gas supplies available to generating units.

BPUB recommends the following to conserve electricity:

  • Set the thermostat at 68 degrees. Special consideration should be given to the ill, elderly and children.
  • Turn off unnecessary electronics or appliances, such as washers and dryers.
  • Turn off the lights in any room not being used.
  • Avoid using large appliances, like ovens and washing machines.
  • Close shades and blinds to reduce the amount of heat lost through windows.

BPUB staff and crews will remain on duty throughout this time and will work to restore utility services as needed. Customers can report service outages using BPUB’s outage reporting tool at https://assist.brownsville-pub.com or by calling 956-983-6100.

The public can rest assured that the utility will remain abreast of the situation. Information is also available on the BPUB website at www.brownsville-pub.com, Facebook at facebook.com/brownsvillepub and Twitter at twitter.com/BPUB_Tweets. For more information about electrical grid conditions in the state, customers can visit www.ERCOT.com or download the ERCOT mobile app.