ERCOT and CPS Energy say they’re ready for next week’s arctic blast

SAN ANTONIO — The expected plunge in temperatures is keeping both ERCOT and CPS Energy busy. We spoke with both organizations who say they are ready for whatever impact the arctic blast could have on the grid. 

ERCOT has issued a winter weather watch but it expects grid conditions to remain normal through the event, as conditions won’t be nearly as bad as they were during the February Freeze of 2021.

“It’s super unpredictable. You don’t know until you’re in the moment, you know, with the conditions, whatever they might be, what the situation is going to be. But I’ll tell you we don’t just watch the weather coming in and hope for the best,” said CPS Energy President and CEO Rudy Garza. 

Now with the cold approaching, CPS Energy says they are prepared for the cold and in a statement today told us, “CPS Energy is prepared for winter weather. CPS Energy weatherized facilities and crews are on standby. CPS Energy has submitted the required declaration of preparedness for winter weatherization to ERCOT. We completed weatherization activities to protect critical equipment from freezing temperatures.”

Garza said units that had a problem during Winter Storm Uri have been upgraded to handle much worse conditions than we are expecting with this freeze. “What we’ve done is improve the standard and push down to a zero degree 30 mile an hour wind requirement for these units,” added Garza.

Some energy saving tips that will cut down on your bill and help conserve energy for the grid in a worst case scenario…Don’t block your air vents. You’ll make your furnace work harder than it should. Check the insulation in your house. Insulate your pipes. Depending on how far the water has to travel you may be losing a lot of heat. Adjust your water heater’s temperature. Aim for the most efficient temperature of 120 degrees. Let the sun in during the day and close the drapes at night.

CPS Energy says ERCOT is doing a better job of communicating to the market in real time which help both CPS Energy and it’s customers. “That allows us to follow suit and communicate those conditions to our customers. And so I feel like our customers are getting more information than they have in the past. Ad information is key to allowing them to make decisions about their own plans,” added Garza.

CPS Energy also says customers are encouraged to sign up for Energy Alerts or call (210) 353-2222 to provide their emergency contact information for the utility to reach them in the case of an emergency. And ERCOT encourages everyone to sign up for grid condition notifications through the Texas Advisory and Notification System (TXANS). Texans can also monitor real-time and extended grid conditions at ercot.com.