Texans Set Power Record Wednesday

DALLAS - Texas consumers broke a state record for the amount of megawatts used in an hour because of Wednesday’s triple digit temperatures.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas said the old record was set in August 2006. But, on Wednesday, Texans used 62,786 megawatts of electricity between 4 and 5 p.m.

The spike in demand sent wholesale electricity prices up more than 10 times the normal rate.

While wholesale prices don’t necessarily impact electric bills, the people at ERCOT said conservation is important for another reason – to prevent power outages.

ERCOT suggests consumers set thermostats to 80 degrees during the day when no one is home. It also suggests avoiding the use of major appliances between 3 and 7 p.m., using ceiling fans and closing window blinds or curtains to block direct sun.

A heat advisory was issued for most of Texas for Friday with temperatures feeling as warm as 110 degrees in some places when heat index values are considered, according to the National Weather Service.

The advisory was issued for portions of West and Central Texas, the Gulf Coast and North Texas.

In North Texas, skies were forecast to be sunny with highs near 101 and heat index values around 106. Overnight lows should be around 80 with wind gusts up to 20 mph possible.