Texas Electricity Ratings

Will You Save on Texas Appliances? Learn how much you can save your home's electricity bill when you replace your oldm, inefficient home appliances. Learn about utility rebates and federal tax credits that make it more affordable. With the scorching Texas heat, keeping your home cool and comfortable can rack up power bills fast. Fortunately, this July 4th is the perfect time to invest in EnergyStar appliances that can save you money in the long run. Whether you own a home or live in an apartment, there are plenty of options to fit your needs. Combat the rising Texas power prices with savings from better machines.  Assess Your Home’s Needs First, evaluate the appliances that use the most power in your home. Common energy hogs include fridges, ACs, washing machines, and water heaters. In apartments, focus on portable ACs, small fridges, and lighting. When you shop, look for the EnergyStar label. It shows the energy saving Texas appliances that meet strict guidelines set by the fede

Do Ancillary Services Increase Power Rates? ERCOT uses ancillary services to plan for electricity demand each day. This way, it can line up enough energy to keep the grid balanced and reliable. Learn how these costs affect your Texas electricity rates and what you should do. A lot of stuff goes into your electric bill. Your local utility includes their charges applicable to everyone. Also,your electric company assesses costs according to your plan. But there’s something baked into your plan rate you probably don’t know about – ancillary services. They help balance each day’s supply and demand to keep the ERCOT grid efficient.  Certainly, ancillary services raise the price you pay for power. However, they don’t show up as line items on your monthly bill. Instead, retail providers, co-ops, and cities pay these costs. In turn, you pay for them within your electric rate. There’s no such thing as a free lunch, right!? These services ensure you have reliable home and business electricity

Can We Prevent Summer Texas Blackouts? Blackouts from severe storms in Texas seem to be growing in frequency. Learn what's being done to the grid to safeguard your home's power. Since mid-May, Texas has seen several rounds of extreme weather causing wide-spread power outages. Big, mean tornados are not new to Texas. And flooding isn't new either. All the same, they seem to be happening more regularly. As a result, Texas blackouts occur more often. Texas electricity reliability is a constant struggle. So, shoring up the grid remains a top priority for lawmakers, state agencies, power makers, and utilities. As they work together, they can reduce future Texas blackouts.  Will Oncor’s $3.4B Texas Plan Reduce Blackouts? Utility company Oncor filed a plan with the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) to enhance grid resiliency. While Oncor is just one of five utility companies in the ERCOT market, it serves a rapidly growing service area. And its plan could lead the way

How Will More Gas Powered TX Energy Happen? While more gas powered energy will add more CO 2 to the atmosphere, over time it could reduce Texas electricity rates. Ironically, it may also jolt investment in batteries and renewables. Ever since Winter Storm Uri in February 2021, Texan have clamored for better grid reliability. One of the ways lawmakers have tried to keep electric companies moving power has been to increase dispatchable energy. The In-ERCOT Generation Loan Program, part of the Texas Energy Fund (TEF), offers low interest loans for building or upgrading power plants that can turn on quickly. Primarily, this favors natural gas plants. That leaves out wind and solar farms because they must rely on weather conditions to produce power. Therefore, lawmakers saw fit to bolster gas powered TX energy projects.  Competing For Funding To be eligible for the natural gas plant funding through the TEF, a project must add a minimum of 100 MW of new generation to the ERCOT market. The

NOAA Says "Above Normal" Hurricane Season Texans are no strangers to hurricane seasons but according to NOAA, this season could be above normal. Learn what to look out for to stay safe. June in Texas not only means the start of summer but also the official start of hurricane season. NOAA released its 2024 Hurricane season forecast back on May 23. Like other hurricane forecasts we covered earlier, NOAA is forcasting an 85% chance of an above-normal season. And given summer temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean, "above-normal" is not an exaggeration. 17 to 25 total named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher) 8 to 13 are forecast to become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher) 4 to 7 major hurricanes (category 3, 4 or 5; with winds of 111 mph or higher) Why Will This Hurricane Season be "Above Normal" NOAA explains the following factors can help create the kind of summer conditions that produce active Atlantic hurricane seasons. Weaker trade winds coming off the