Posted on 02/02/2011 5:54:36 AM PST by BuckeyeTexan
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has ordered utilities to begin rotating outages to compensate for a generation shortage due high usage in extreme weather. Rotating outages are controlled, temporary interruptions of service designed to ease the load on the electric grid. To see recent reports on the grid load, click here.
The outages last anywhere from 10-45 minutes and the locations and durations are determined by the local utilities.
Critical need customers such as hospitals and nursing homes are generally not included It is not known at this time how long the need for rotating outages will last.
Consumers and businesses are urged to reduce their electricity use to the lowest level possible, including these steps:
gas is better for cooking and cheaper hot water too
Icy Hot, hmmmm, interesting, hadn’t thought of that. Thanks.
I, too, am in the HIll Country. I was just clicking on this article when the electricity went off.
For diesel engines its not always an option at the dealership. I bet a lot of new owners are unaware of a factory installed engine heater even exists on their trucks.
Plus almost all big rigs have engine heaters.
Gas is also good for space heating (e.g. gas fireplace). Very efficient, no electricity needed, and heats just you and the cats near it instead of the empty house.
This is what happens when government is involved. Utilities should never have been regulated and controlled by government, and yes, it is possible to have a private energy market. Utility companies are government protected (can any other kind last?) monopolies and will always be screwed up. Government couldn’t manage a 2-car funeral.
Yeah I’ve got one of those. It’s nice.
Also have a gen set but thankfully the power stayed on here in Indiana.
Our ice mostly came in the form of sleet rather than freezing rain which made a huge difference as far as accumulation on trees and power lines. There’s 3 or 4 inches of bb sized ice pellets on the ground. It will take a long time to melt for sure.
Don’t know if any of your power comes from these guys, http://www.nipsco.com/Home.aspx, but as a stockholder, I hope if it does, you are well served.
Have your neighbors wash the dog in a mixture of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and dish soap. Do a search for the recipe. BTDT and it helps a lot.
Still on at the office.
Cell towers down, phones say emergency calls only, no wireless.
Another trick to use is to bake several large rocks or bricks in the oven to heat them through. Then wrap them individually in a towel/blanket and put your feet on them while you’re sitting. (Put one at the foot of your bed under the covers and you’ll stay warm and cozy all night. They do that in Africa on safari trips.) Hot water bags work too but they don’t last as long.
The first way, and the less intrusive, requires building more power generation plants. That ain't going to happen - the environmentalists, not-in-my-backyard, and the EPA will see to that.
The second way requires our society changes the demand cycle. This means changing how we go to work. Who says everyone has to work 9-to-5? In today's computerize age we don't.
But that will take a lot of effort so everyone will take the easier way out - selectively shut people off for short periods of time. Okay, but what about people who are in hospice or require 24/7 power to supply their home medical devices.
i wish I could say this is something new but it isn't. We have seen this every time it gets either extremely hot or extremely cold. Both of these meteorological conditions occur with extreme regularity.
We live in extreme desert heat country (but we're not immune to winter...it hit 33 a bit earlier this a.m.).
Every HVAC guy I've consulted recommends not closing vents; that does kinda go against logic, but apparently keeping the entire house ambient increases the efficiency.
Are you in a multi-story building? Maybe they have backup generators. If there are production data centers in the building, they usually have them. I have friends at a major national retailer headquarters in Fort Worth who tell me they’re shutting down non-essential servers and lights.
Arlington, TX; down at 8:40a, up at 9:05a
No, I’m in a little town that doesn’t even have stoplights. :)
They sure picked a hell of a day to do this. Have already had two blackouts this morning and it’s only 19 degrees here. When does it ever get 19 degrees in Houston? And this is the day they decide to do it.
A couple of power plants went off line earlier. That is why the grid is overloaded. We did not have this problem in 85 when it was 4 F during the night.
I’m on a rural electric coop - Touchstone Energy.
I think they buy most of their juice from Duke Power.
Dont Texans brag about having their ‘own grid’ and how immune they are from such events?
L O L
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