If you live in north Texas and you and your family woke up to no electricity and all the cold you could stand, understand that this not only may be routine but also repetitive for the next couple of days.

Most of the state will be experiencing rolling blackouts, which basically is an intentional electrical power outage initiated in this case by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). These blackouts also are referred to as load shedding, as they rotate outages in an effort to compensate for an electrical shortage because of plant trips occurring because of the icy weather conditions.

Rolling blackouts are last-resort efforts to avoid total blackouts. They usually affect residential neighborhoods and small businesses. ERCOT hasn’t speculated on a time duration, but it has suggested the outages will take place all around the state and can last anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes per neighborhood. Some neighborhoods will experience multiple outages. All critical-need customers (hospitals, nursing homes, etc.) are not expected to be affected.

Households experiencing outages longer than the expected delay may have other weather-related issues causing electrical problems. During this span, all homeowners are asked to reduce their electricity usage during this span. One tip includes turning off all unused lights. Another tip involves unplugging all unused appliances and electronic devices.

More tips can be found on the Public Utility Commission of Texas website. Our Dallas TX electric company can assist you with tips, as well. Feel free to call our Dallas TX electricians, or contact us online for information.