AUSTIN, Texas (FOX 44) – The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) is asking Texans to voluntarily reduce electricity use, if safe to do so.

The company says this is due to extreme temperatures, forecasted high demand and lower reserves. This Voluntary Conservation Notice is in effect from 3 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Thursday. 

This notice comes as part of ERCOT’s Texas Advisory and Notification System (TXANS), which alerts the public of grid conditions. ERCOT previously extended the Weather Watch through August 18 due to forecasted higher temperatures, higher electrical demand and the potential for lower reserves. 

The company is requesting for all government agencies (including city and county offices) to implement all programs to reduce energy use at their facilities.

ERCOT says it is not experiencing emergency conditions at this time. Voluntary conservation is a widely used industry tool which can help lower demand for a specific period of peak demand time, which is typically late afternoon into the evening hours.

The company is using additional tools to manage the grid reliably – including using reserve power, calling upon reductions by large electric customers that have volunteered to lower their energy use and bringing more generation online sooner.

If you are experiencing an outage, ERCOT says it is local in nature and not related to overall grid reliability. Please check with your local electric provider for more information.

In addition, energy-saving tips can be found on the TXANS webpage at ercot.com/txans.