SUMMER TEMPERATURES BREAK STATE ELECTRIC GRID RECORD

  

 It took a while, but triple-digit temperatures have hit Central Texas in August. Several weeks of temperatures near 100 degrees or hotter have led to record-setting demand for electricity across the state and increased electric consumption by Bluebonnet’s members.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, commonly referred to as ERCOT, manages the electric grid for most of Texas. Hourly demand records were set twice on Thursday, Aug. 6. And twice more Monday, Aug. 10, when hourly demand peaked at 69,408 megawatts between 3 and 4 p.m., and 69,783 megawatts between 4 and 5 p.m. Monday’s records marked the first time electric demand in ERCOT’s region exceeded 69,000 megawatts.

Electric demand is the amount of electricity being used by all consumers in ERCOT’s region at a given moment in time. One megawatt is enough to power about 200 Texas homes during peak demand, ERCOT said.

So far this month, Bluebonnet’s peak demand was 422 megawatts, reached at 4:55 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11. That’s well shy of Bluebonnet’s all-time peak demand of 495 megawatts on Jan. 7, 2014. The low temperature recorded that day at Austin’s Bergstrom International Airport was 12 degrees and the average temperature was 29 degrees.

Electric demand is different from electric consumption. Electric demand is how much electricity a house needs to power every electric device in use at that given moment. Demand changes from moment to moment as air conditioners cycle on or off, and lights or televisions are turned on or off. At the household level, demand is measured in kilowatts.

Electric consumption is the amount of electricity used over a period of time. At the household level consumption is measured in kilowatt hours. The typical home in Bluebonnet’s service area uses about 1,200 kilowatt hours of electricity per month.

Confusing? It’s complicated because, as Bluebonnet’s General Manager Mark Rose often says, “no one has ever seen a kilowatt.”

Here’s an analogy that might help: When you use a hose to water the garden, highest demand means you are blasting water at full force, and lowest demand is more like a trickle. All that water is measured in gallons. Your electric demand at your home is measured in kilowatts.

Your consumption, however, is the total amount of water you use during a given period of time, such as a 30-day billing period. Look at it like the water it takes to fill a swimming pool. The electric equivalent of all those gallons are kilowatt hours.

With electricity, you control how much you use by adjusting your thermostat and turning electric appliances, lights and other devices on or off. With water, you open and close faucets, take long or short showers, water your landscape a little or lot and set the water level on your washing machine.

Summer’s hot temperatures affect electric and water consumption in similar ways. Long, hot, dry days mean your air conditioner runs longer to keep your house cool. You have to water your yard to keep the grass growing.

Mark Rose also says, “No one has ever seen an August electric bill they’ve liked.” The same can probably be said about an August water bill.

So far this month, Bluebonnet’s residential members have consumed 6.5 percent more electricity compared with the same time last year. And that means the electric bills that will be landing in mailboxes or email in boxes in the next few weeks might be higher than expected.

Fortunately, Bluebonnet members can avoid being surprised by a high electric bill by going to the co-op’s website, bluebonnet.coop, and logging into their accounts and using the Energy Tracking Tool. There co-op members can see their current costs to date and how much their bill is projected to be at the end of their billing cycle. It’s a powerful, informative online tool Bluebonnet members can use to at least partially beat the heat.

For more information about the Energy Tracking Tool on Bluebonnet’s website, go to bluebonnet.coop, contact a member service representative at 800-842-7708, or visit one its five member service centers in Bastrop, Brenham, Giddings, Lockhart or Manor.