The relentless heat will only grow in intensity through next week, which is expected to have 93-96 degree days each day, per Space City Weather. In fact, the Bayou City is forecast to tie or break numerous heat records from Saturday through Thursday, baking along with much of the Lone Star State.
Earlier this week, Austin-based energy consultant Doug Lewin, announced that the Energy Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) is expecting demand for power across Texas to reach 69.3 gigawatts on Saturday, as temperatures in Houston and Dallas hit highs in the low-to-mid ’90s and eclipse 100 in towns such as Midland and Laredo. ERCOT issued a follow-up statement saying it has asked power plants to delay or curtail planned power outages accordingly.
Below, Josh Rhodes of University of Texas says the Texas Grid held up on Saturday:
In lieu of smart-metering, people who want to be good citizens have to figure out when usage will be low to schedule their appliance delay timers (clothes washer, dishwasher, EV charger).