As temperatures made it
feel like mid-summer, the group in charge of the state’s power grid asked
Texans to ease up on electricity use.
The months of April and May are usually set aside for what energy
experts call maintenance season before the summer comes. Some of that
maintenance has been delayed because of the unusually hot weather this time of
year. Then, six plants failed unexpectedly Friday.
Six plants failed
unexpectedly Friday. Those six plants consist of enough energy to supply
the city of Austin.
“I think we will
get through this weekend, but the summer is going to depend on the
weather,” said Daniel Cohen, Rice University energy expert.
“It’s going to be a question of, will the record hot days in the spring,
is that what’s to come for an unusually hot summer? Then we could have serious
problems in Texas.”
ERCOT is asking Texans to set their
thermostats to 78 degrees or above between 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. through this
weekend, and to avoid using large appliances at the same time.
An energy Audit will provide you a roadmap to saving
money and improving the comfort of your home.
What is energy conservation?
At its core, energy conservation is the practice of
using less energy in order to lower costs and reduce environmental impact. This can mean using less electricity, gas, or any other
form of energy that you get from your utility and pay for. With finite energy
resources available on our planet, actively conserving energy when possible is
beneficial individually and to our larger energy systems.
Energy conservation vs. energy efficiency
While energy conservation is the practice of
trying to use less energy for cost and environmental reasons, energy efficiency
means using specific products designed to use less energy. These two concepts
are inherently similar but involve different methods. Examples of energy
conservation include using smart appliances and energy-saving bulbs in your
home.
