SAN ANTONIO — South Texas is expected a blistering hot weekend. That means more energy will be used by most San Antonians.
CPS Energy says they prepared for this onslaught of heat.
"They have their plants running smoothly and have purchased more energy reserves to get us through it," said Milady Nazir, a CPS Energy spokesperson. "We're confident that we will be able to keep the lights on again. We make sure that our plants are prepared. We have enough energy reserves as well."
The utility is running a "Beat the Heat" campaign meant to serve as a guide to compensating for potential grid liability.
"It's a color conservation guide," Nazir added. "We're asking the community: Conserve, conserve, conserve. And also make sure you don't use large appliances that you don't need to use."
Where does all of your energy go? Over half is allocated to cooling and heating; 13% goes to water heating; 10% goes to lighting; and 7% to refrigeration. Meanwhile, 6% goes to cooking, with another 6% goes to other appliances.
Since so much energy goes to heating and cooling, it's important to keep that AC at 80 degrees when the temperature is over 100.
"Because what happens is then the AC will just keep on working overtime," Nazir said.
Smaller steps you can take to conserve electricity:
- Make sure you use shades on windows.
- Curtains that keep the sunlight out.
- Eliminate drafts under doors.
- Only use your dryer before 2pm and after 7pm.
- Only run the washer, dryer, and dishwasher when they are fully loaded.
- Turn off all lights when you leave a room and unplug when you can.
Nazir also said, "It's just going that extra step will help with the grid but also lower energy usage and lead to energy savings. Lowering the bill."
To check on the status of the grid throughout the weekend, which is not expected to be a problem, we have a link to ERCOT's grid status page here.