In Texas, can your electricity be shut off during heat wave? Here’s what you need to know

Ella Gonzales
·2 min read

In Reality Check stories, Star-Telegram journalists dig deeper into questions over facts, consequences and accountability. Read more. Story idea? RealityCheck@star-telegram.com.

It won’t be long before Texans will be asked by the state’s power grid operator to conserve electricity as days swelter in the summer heat.

And our days are starting to heat up. A week ago, Dallas-Fort Worth recorded its hottest day of the year to date at 95 degrees with a heat index value of 103. Earlier this year, the region saw a high of 94 degrees in the middle of February. What’s in store for this summer is yet to be seen.

As HVAC systems power up to cool homes across the state, it surely will tax an already fragile network. When the power grid is incapable of keeping up with demand, rolling blackouts are used as an emergency measure, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. Texans may be all too familiar with this measure used during the 2021 winter storm.

ERCOT monitors extreme weather events and assesses how it could disrupt the state’s ability to distribute power. It issues advisories that range from a Weather Watch to an Emergency Energy Alert.

But can your power utility shut off your power?

No. Not during extreme weather events, and not even for non-payment of bill. The utility company must offer a reasonable payment plan for after the weather emergency has passed.

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Texas power utilities can’t turn power off during extreme weather

Here is what the Public Utility Commission of Texas considers weather emergencies:

  • When the previous day’s highest temperature did not exceed 32 degrees, and the temperature is predicted to remain at or below that level for the next 24 hours anywhere in the county, according to the nearest National Weather Service reports.

  • When the NWS issues a heat advisory for a county, or when such advisory has been issued on any one of the preceding two calendar days in a county.

Help conserve power, remember these tips

During a Voluntary Conservation Notice, ERCOT suggests saving power through these tips:

  • Lowering or raising thermostat two or three degrees during weather watches (higher for hot days, lower for frigid days).

  • Avoid using large appliances, dishwashers, and laundry machines.

  • Turn off and unplug non essential appliances and lights.

  • Turn pool pumps to shut off during peak hours (recommended overnight or early morning)