MORE CONSERVATION IS NEEDED: STATEWIDE ELECTRIC DEMAND REACHING POSSIBLE NEW HIGH

Continued below freezing temperatures across the State have resulted in an increase in electric demand throughout Texas.  Employees from across our company met and exceeded the requests of our customers during this extended stretch of challenging weather conditions.  We consistently answered all customer calls within 30 seconds and restored power very promptly in neighborhoods across the entire San Antonio community.

Weather is expected to stay at freezing levels and CPS Energy personnel will continue to work through the morning, as needed.  These freezing conditions will test the performance of the Texas electrical grid overnight and in the morning as Texas is expected to see near record high electric usage.  CPS Energy is actively monitoring our local and state systems for grid performance and reliability. CPS Energy is urging customers to proactively conserve energy usage to reduce the amount of local energy usage.

To conserve energy, we ask that you:

• Set your thermostat between 68 to 70 degrees when home. Set it lower when away at work or school.
• Use ceiling fans at lowest setting in reverse mode to circulate warm air in rooms in use.
• Limit use of appliances with high energy consumption, i.e. washing machines, dryers, dishwashers and water heaters through noon on Wednesday.
• Turn off electrical appliances and unplug chargers not in use.
• Turn electrical heaters and lights off when not needed or the room/area is empty.
• Avoid using too many electric items at the same time.
• Layer clothing to keep warm at home.
• Close exterior doors and windows to keep the cold out and reduce the running time of heating system.
• Seal any holes or gaps with towels or other material to keep cold air from coming in and heat from escaping.
• During the day, open window blinds and curtains if the sun is shining to let in the sun’s warmth.
• Purchase surge protectors with the seal of a nationally recognized certification agency like Underwriter Laboratories (UL) to protect your equipment and appliances. Be sure to note wattage capacity and do not overload the surge protectors.

In case of a power outage, please follow these tips:

• Be prepared. Keep cell phones, flashlights, batteries and other important items available for an unexpected power outage.
• Keep the refrigerator door closed as much as possible. Refrigerated food should be safe as long as power is out no more than 4 hours.
• If it looks like the power outage will be for more than 2-4 hours, pack perishable items (meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products and leftovers) into a cooler surrounded by ice. Discard any perishable foods that have been above 40 °F for more than 2 hours. See How to Keep Food Safe (FDA).
• Critical care customers should seek assistance in preparation for outages.

While not currently deemed necessary, if as a state we cannot balance and conserve power, our system operators at the Texas capital may need to instruct all utilities, including CPS Energy to take power down, sections at a time.  These outages in San Antonio would be managed to be approximately 15 minutes at a time.