TEXAS — The Public Utility Commission of Texas is asking Texans to conserve electricity use Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. if it’s safe to do so.
ERCOT requested Texans to conserve energy for the Texas power grid Monday morning between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m.
To help keep you and your family safe and warm, reporter Dominique Leh spoke with an HVAC technician to help you conserve.
- To keep your water from freezing, Bukowski Brothers Plumbing says to run both hot and cold water from your faucets, especially if they are on the outside wall of your home.
- If your pipes do freeze, you should turn your faucets on slowly to prevent your pipes from bursting.
- To conserve energy for the power grid while staying warm, Rabroker Air Conditioning said you can turn your thermostat to mid to upper 60s but only if it's safe to do so. You should keep it where you are comfortable.
BROADCAST SCRIPT:
“This morning we get up and go through the normal process, make coffee, and brush your teeth, and there’s no water coming out of anywhere, any faucet," Jeff Lemely said.
Lemely woke up Monday morning expecting to have a normal day, but because his faucets weren’t left running.
“We have no water at all,” Lemley said.
25 News reporter spoke with a Bukowski Brothers plumbing to help keep that from happening to you.
“You want to run hot and cold faucets all throughout your house, especially those mainly on the outside wall of your home,” said René Perkins with Bukowski Brothers Plumbing.
If you do have a pipe freeze, Perkins says to turn your faucets on slowly.
“That way the air if there’s air in there built up in the lines, it’ll come out slowly because if you turn it on real fast that what will possibly cause a break,” Perkins said.
To help conserve energy while heating your home, Rabroker Air Conditioning and Plumbing says keeping your thermostat at mid to upper 60s helps the grid.
“Comfort level is where I usually steer to you know, because elderly people sometimes like it much warmer and mid to upper 60’s isn’t gonna work for them," said Matt Sanders with Rabroker Air Conditioning and Plumbing.
"Just keep it comfortable — don’t freeze yourself out, but try to turn it down as much as you can."
He also suggests getting your home properly insulated.
“If you obviously can’t get that done right now, then you know covering your windows with something to keep it insulated,” Sanders said.
While we wait to weather out the blast, Lemley doesn’t have to.
“Do you see that? Live and on camera, we might be getting water! It’s a trickle!", he said.
Something to be watchful of while you’re heating your home, is carbon monoxide.
It’s a colorless and odorless gas that comes from a gas furnace or a generator.
Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are headaches, dizziness, vomiting and chest pains.
You can install a battery operated or back up CO2 detector in your home.
The CDC reports every year hundreds die in the US due to accidental poisoning, and thousands have to make a trip to the hospital.
