Texas Electricity Ratings

  [caption id="attachment_6007" align="alignright" width="340"] Hard winter weather just doesn't happen in Texas? Not anymore. Find out how a winter cold snap froze up ERCOT and shut it down cold. [/caption] How Did Cold Weather Freeze The Texas Grid? With Arctic-like cold and wind chills likely sticking around Texas until the weekend, many  electricity customers inn ERCOT are finding time to wonder what happened on Sunday, February 15. After all, the past week's cold weather catastrophe seems more at home in the bleak whiteness of Jack London's Yukon than sunny Sugar Land. To help sort it all out, we've been assembling the story as the facts emerge. And as with any raw crisis, we've discovered a whole lot of questions to answer. Just how did a winter cold snap freeze up the ERCOT grid anyway? How could it affect your electric bill? And — more importantly — could it happen again? How the Arctic Vortex and Winter Storm Froze Texas Each...

[caption id="attachment_6001" align="alignright" width="225"] Cold snaps are dangerous! We show you how to keep warm if your power goes out. [/caption] How Do I Keep My Home Warm During Power Outage Texans woke to teeth-chattering Arctic cold this morning scarcely seen in decades. With temperatures struggling to climb from single digits in the wee-small hours, ERCOT warned Texas electric customers to conserve electricity. Otherwise, " Rotating outages  may be needed to protect the system." The combination of snow and ice pulling down power lines and higher-tan normal demand is straining ERCOT's system. At 12: 10 pm, 1.5 million CenterPoint customers had now no power. And with below-freezing temperatures expected to hang around until Wednesday, Texas electricity customers  are worrying about blackouts. So, to help you and your family get safely through this crisis, we'll take you through how to keep warm if your power goes out. How Lon...

[caption id="attachment_5995" align="alignright" width="329"] Find out how to get your pipes ready when Arctic cold comes to Houston! [/caption] Extreme Cold Coming to Houston - Protect Your Pipes Now! Part of the Arctic Vortex is pushing southward deep into heart of Texas. And if you've seen the local news, you know that Houston faces frigid Monday lows of 16°F! Not only will most folks get higher electric bills , but many homes could freeze their water pipes. Add in expensive plumbing repairs and many homeowners could pay thousands for what they could easily --and cheaply-- avoid. At What Temperature Will Your Water Pipes Freeze? Usually, south Texas  climate is mild year round.  Consequently, south Texas cities and towns only bury water lines about 18 inches below ground surface In some areas, building codes allow water lines to emerge from blow ground up to 6 feet away from the home. According to TMU's Agrilife Extension water pipes like this...