CenterPoint Energy continues to closely monitor grid conditions and information from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). According to ERCOT, as a result of unplanned power generation outages and customer demand for electricity, the ERCOT system will continue to be close to the amount of power generation available and grid conditions are expected to be tight through June 18.
The company thanked its customers for answering the call to conserve electricity on June 14. Electric grid tight conditions are expected throughout the week of June 14 and customers across greater Houston area continue to be encouraged to conserve electricity, especially during peak hours.
ERCOT is responsible for scheduling electric power and ensuring the reliability and adequacy of the electrical network in the ERCOT region of Texas. CenterPoint Energy does not generate electricity itself, so any shortage of electric power capacity from the electric grid is not something that the company controls.
CenterPoint Energy has asked its customers to conserve electricity this week, particularly between 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., the forecasted peak time period for customer power usage.
"We appreciate our customers and their willingness to answer the call for conservation on June 14," said Kenny Mercado, CenterPoint Energy's executive vice president, electric utility. "As we continue to expect tight grid conditions throughout the week, we encourage our customers across our electric service territory to help conserve electricity every day through June 18."
Consumers can help the ERCOT grid by conserving energy, especially until 7 p.m., by following these steps:
- Setting their thermostat to 78° or higher — every degree of cooling increases their energy use by 6% to 8%.
- Turning off lights and pool pumps, and avoiding using large appliances like ovens, washing machines, and dryers.
- Turning off and unplugging things when not needed, if possible.
If conditions worsen, ERCOT may issue a directive to CenterPoint Energy to curtail delivery of power to customers, which will require the utility to implement controlled outages because of power generation shortage.
Controlled outages are planned emergency measures designed to avoid potentially longer and more widespread power outages for customers. Controlled outages are only implemented as a last resort to maintain reliability of the electric system and they are done with the intent to rotate outages in the electric service territory based on grid and system conditions.
Houston-area customers should prepare now and have a backup plan in place, especially those who rely on electricity for life-sustaining equipment.
ERCOT is the independent system operator for the region and manages the flow of electric power to most of Texas and more than 26 million Texas customers. CenterPoint Energy is an investor-owned electric utility and a member of ERCOT. The company manages the transmission and distribution of electricity to its approximately 2.6 million customers across the greater Houston area and surrounding communities.
