The Brownsville Public Utilities Board is asking customers to conserve electricity for the next two weeks, Aug. 1-14. This request is being made as part of a call by AEP Texas to limit or reduce electrical use to preserve the Rio Grande Valley energy grid.
According to an AEP Texas press release, Hurricane Hanna severely damaged a 2-mile stretch of 138-kV transmission line in Edinburg.
AEP Texas is working with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to continue serving customers in the Rio Grande Valley, including BPUB customers, but the area’s electric grid is expected to be strained during the time necessary to construct and repair the transmission line segment.
Because of this, BPUB is joining AEP Texas in asking its customers to voluntarily reduce their electricity use to protect the area’s electrical grid and help reduce the chances of rotating outages.
Here are some ways that customers can conserve electricity:
- Turn up thermostats on air conditioning units a couple of degrees.
- Turn off and unplug non-essential lights and appliances.
- Avoid running large appliances such as washers, dryers and electric ovens during peak energy demand hours (6-9 a.m. and 4-8 p.m.).
