STATEWIDE — With frigid temperatures sweeping Texas, it's tempting to crank up the heater, but power companies statewide are asking you not to do that.
- Turn off or unplug appliances when you're not using them
- Close shades and blinds at night to reduce the amount of heat lost through the windows
- Keep thermostats as low as possible, preferably below 68 degrees.
When the temperatures drop, power demand goes up, which doesn't bode well for the state's power grid.
In the middle of Tuesday's ice storm, over 1,400 people in San Antonio lost power along with 1,600 others in Austin.
Right now, less than 50 people are without power in San Antonio with just over 100 in Austin.
Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages the power flow throughout Texas, is asking you to conserve power because we are expected to reach a new peak in demand Wednesday.
If the power grid is overloaded, it sets us up for massive blackouts.
ERCOT is monitoring the situation closely, but you also need to do your part to make sure that doesn't happen.
To do that, residents are asked to turn off or unplug appliances when you're not using them, close shades and blinds at night to reduce the amount of heat lost through the windows and keep thermostats as low as possible, preferably below 68 degrees.