ERCOT Electric Reliability Council of Texas : High load expected Wednesday morning in ERCOT region

January 16, 2018

AUSTIN, TX, Jan. 16, 2018 - Statement on tomorrow's peak (forecasted to occur between 7 and 8 a.m.):

As always, ERCOT is monitoring the current situation closely. We expect significantly high load at tomorrow morning's peak due to historically high usage and continued very low temperatures expected through the night in Texas.

Here are some ways consumers can help conserve energy:

• Keep your thermostat as low as comfortably possible, preferably no higher than 68 degrees.
• Turn off and unplug non-essential lights and appliances.
• Avoid running large appliances such as washers, dryers and electric ovens during peak energy demand hours (6 to 10 a.m. and 6 to 10 p.m. in the winter).
• Close shades and blinds at night to reduce the amount of heat lost through windows, and open them during the day to let heat from the sun come in.
• Businesses should minimize the use of electric lighting and electricity-consuming equipment as much as possible.
• Large consumers of electricity should consider shutting down or reducing non-essential production processes.

See more conservation tips atwww.ercot.com/about/conservation orwww.powertosavetexas.org.

###

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) manages the flow of electric power to 24 million Texas customers -- representing about 90 percent of the state's electric load. As the independent system operator for the region, ERCOT schedules power on an electric grid that connects more than 46,500 miles of transmission lines and 570+ generation units. It also performs financial settlement for the competitive wholesale bulk-power market and administers retail switching for 7 million premises in competitive choice areas. ERCOT is a membership-based 501(c)(4) nonprofit corporation, governed by a board of directors and subject to oversight by the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Texas Legislature. Its members include consumers, cooperatives, generators, power marketers, retail electric providers, investor-owned electric utilities, transmission and distribution providers and municipally owned electric utilities.