“We ask Texans to conserve energy when they can by setting their thermostats to 78 degrees or higher and avoid using large appliances (such as dishwashers, washers and dryers) during peak hours between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. on weekends,” the president said. Interim Executive Brad Jones in the statement
The call comes as record temperatures across much of the southern US this weekend are expected to exacerbate a worsening drought.
From Phoenix to Amarillo, Texas, record temperatures are expected to hit three figures, with some parts of Texas having a chance to break daily records over the next seven days.
Now the heat is testing the Texas power grid.
On Wednesday, ERCOT asked power plants to postpone outages and return from outages already in progress “to serve Texas this weekend.”
Saturday temperatures in the 1990s across Texas were -10 to 15 degrees above average, according to CNN meteorologists. Temperatures are expected to rise from the mid-1990s to 100 degrees Celsius on Sunday, with most of central and western Texas reaching 100 to 105 degrees — roughly 10 to 15 degrees above average.
According to a statement from the organization, ERCOT is responsible for about 90% of the state’s electrical load.
Hot off-season weather is driving record demand across the state, the statement said.
