Xcel Energy is ready to meet the energy needs of its Texas and New Mexico customers as temperatures and electricity demand rise this summer.
“We continuously monitor weather forecasts, electricity supply projections and other factors to ensure reliability and minimize the risk of disruption for our customers during periods of peak demand,” said Adrian J. Rodriguez, president, Xcel Energy – New Mexico, Texas. “We’re in a good position to meet our customers’ needs with the electricity we generate at our own power plants and electricity available from the larger regional grid.”
Xcel Energy’s service territory in Texas is not part of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and the company’s New Mexico communities are separate from the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) grid. The company’s Texas and New Mexico system is part of the Southwest Power Pool (SPP), which oversees the reliability of a transmission network covering all or portions of 14 states and operates a wholesale power market. The SPP marketplace facilitates the sale and purchase of electricity to ensure costeffective power reliability, in addition to serving as the “balancing authority” responsible for balancing supply and demand – ensuring enough generation is available to reliably supply electricity now and in the future.
“As part of our shared responsibility through the Southwest Power Pool, if emergency conditions arise, our customers could be asked to conserve energy or, in an extreme situation, experience controlled power outages to help reduce energy use on the larger regional grid,” Rodriguez said. “However, we do not expect to need controlled outages this summer.”
On particularly hot days, Xcel Energy may ask customers to help reduce demand on the regional electric grid by conserving energy. Customers can also save on their bills by conserving energy and participating in energy efficiency programs.
“We have invested in the reliability of our system by adding new lines and substations to free up capacity to serve a growing demand for electricity, but hot weather can present unique challenges that remind us to never take anything for granted,” Rodriguez said. “Our customers can be assured we’re prepared and able to respond quickly and effectively in the case of any system emergency.”
Punishing summer heat has driven electricity demand higher across Xcel Energy’s Texas and New Mexico service area, but it’s not too late to take steps to use electricity more efficiently and lower bills during the warm days yet to come.
“The cost to power our air conditioners is the main component of a summer bill, and air conditioning is not something we should go without,” said Brad Baldridge, Xcel Energy director for Customer and Community Relations in Texas and New Mexico. “But if we manage it carefully, we can remain comfortable and hold down costs now and throughout the year.”
Average temperatures across the region have been consistently higher than the norm throughout July. Xcel Energy offers tips to beat the persistent heat and save money at its Energy Saving Tips page at xcelenergy.com. These include: - Using weather stripping to seal doors and windows so cool air can’t escape; - Raising the thermostat level into the 80s when no one is at home, and then gradually lowering it to around 78 degrees when the house is occupied; - Investing in a “smart” thermostat that allows customers to program and, or adjust thermostat settings from a mobile device; - Closing blinds and drapes during the heat of the day to block the heat from sunlight; - Using fans to circulate air throughout the home, even when the air conditioning is on; - Opening interior doors to allow cool air to circulate in the house. If there is a part of the house not in use, closing it off to keep the cool air where it is desired; - Putting off cooking and clothes drying and other chores that create heat inside the home until past 7 p.m.; and - Shading air conditioning units to boost their efficiency Additionally, installing LED bulbs helps stretch savings further because they use 70-90% less energy and last 15 times longer. Xcel Energy has teamed up with select retailers in its Texas-New Mexico service area to provide discounts on certain LED bulbs. Customers can locate these retailers at the company’s Home Lighting page at xcelenergy.com.
Customers can take a further step toward ongoing savings by having their homes tested for air leaks that can make cooling and heating units less efficient and more costly to operate. Xcel Energy provides a list of approved energy efficiency contractors at xcelenergyefficiency.com that will find these air leaks and make energy-saving improvements free of charge.
Xcel Energy is doing its part to hold down costs by leaning on its abundant resources of wind farms, which use the free and abundant wind to power wind turbine generators. Additionally, improvements to the region’s power grid have enabled the company to access low-cost supplies of power through the Southwest Power Pool as well as deliver electricity more efficiently and more reliably.
ERCOT has issued a Weather Watch from June 25 - 30 due to forecasted higher temperatures and higher electrical demand.
Grid conditions are expected to be normal during a Weather Watch. ERCOT continues to monitor conditions closely and will deploy all available tools to manage the grid and will continue our reliability-first approach to operations.
ERCOT set a new June peak demand record of 79,304 MWs on June 19. ERCOT’s six-day Supply and Demand dashboard is showing the possibility of a new all-time peak demand record next week.
The dashboards will update in real-time as the week progresses. There is currently enough capacity to meet forecasted demand.
Last year, ERCOT set 11 new peak demand records, surpassing 80 GWs for the first time ever. The current record of 80,148 MWs was set on July 20, 2022.
ERCOT encourages everyone to sign up for grid condition notifications through the Texas Advisory and Notification System (TXANS) at https://www.ercot.com/txans. Texans can also monitor real-time and extended grid conditions on their website.