An equipment malfunction — not energy overuse amid scorching heat hovering in the triple digits — is being blamed for a power outage affecting more than 1,000 Taylor households last week.
A service interruption lasting more than 2.5 hours impacted 1,100 customers before electricity was restored, said Oncor spokeswoman Kaiti Chapin.
She cited equipment woes as the cause.
“While we perform thorough inspections of our facilities, not every individual piece of equipment gives off a prior warning,” she wrote in an email. “However, we respond to each outage as quickly and safely as possible and the repairs or replacements made should further our systems.”
While other power outages in the region have been attributed to heavy energy use as residents crank up the air conditioning in droves to fend off the heat, Chapin said no call for conserving energy had been sent to customers at the time of the outage.
“Please note that requests for conservation are issued by (the Electric Reliability Council of Texas) and a conservation alert was not in effect during this time,” she wrote.
ERCOT, which has an operations center in Taylor, is a not-forprofit organization managing electricity flow to more than 27 million Texas customers — around 90% of the state’s electric load.
“However, practicing energy efficiency can help customers save money on electric bills and reduce energy usage during high-demand seasons,” Chapin added.
To that end, she offered a series of consumer tips:
• Install a programmable thermostat
• Set thermostats just two or three degrees higher and block out the hot sun by closing the blinds and curtains
• Keep air vents open to increase circulation • Use fans to cool homes
• Have A/C and heating systems serviced twice a year (spring and fall recommended) • Purchase systems that have a 16 Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating, or SEER, and 12 Energy Efficiency Rating, or EER
• Clean or replace air filters once a month Additional tips are available on the Oncor website at oncor.com/ content/oncorwww/us/ en/home.html.
Founded in 1912, Oncor is the largest energy delivery company in Texas as detailed on its website. The utility has over 143,000 miles of transmission and distribution lines serving over 400 communities and 98 counties across the state, according to the utility.
