Texas power grid: Austin mayor encourages residents to conserve energy

AUSTIN, Texas - Austin Mayor Kirk Watson is encouraging residents to conserve energy as temperatures rise this month. The grid conditions are reportedly normal right now, but that could change quickly.

"This summer is not over," Mayor Watson said.

ERCOT is expecting a higher risk for tight grid conditions this month. The days have started getting shorter, which means less solar-generated power, and more people at home are turning down the thermostats.

"As our air conditioners work harder and harder, ERCOT grid conditions can turn on a dime," Watson said.

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Models indicate normal conditions now, but conservation is encouraged.

"Leave the lights off when you don't need them on, put the air conditioning up a degree or two in the house," Watson said.

"Some days it's a little nerve wracking to know, are you going to get that demand response on a particular day? Because if you get it, we've got enough. On other days, maybe we don't," ERCOT President and CEO Pablo Vegas said.

RELATED: Austin city leaders urging residents to be prepared for summer heat

If consumption is too high, an Energy Emergency Alert will be issued and ERCOT will mandate controlled outages.

"If ERCOT says that we need to implement a certain number of outages, that computer program will look for the most effective way to rotate that level of outage across the system, so it's not based on any one geographic area, it's really based on system-wide conditions at that time," Austin Energy Deputy General Manager Stuart Reilly said.

"We will take steps to protect critical infrastructure such as water treatment plants, hospitals or public safety facilities," Watson said.

ERCOT said there’s a 16 percent chance they will have to declare an alert this month. The highest risk hour is 8-9 p.m.

"We right now do not anticipate and haven't been told you should expect controlled outages," Watson said.

Last year, ERCOT asked Texans to conserve energy 11 times and also sent an Energy Emergency Alert in September.

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