Recent Notices
- Hurricane Prepardness Bill Inserts - June, August, October
- Hurricane Prepardness Bill Inserts - July, September, November
Important Information About Load Shedding
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) manages the flow of power across the electric grid to more than 26 million Texas customers, which servesapproximately 75 percent of the land area of Texas, including the City of Garland. Texas Senate Bill 3 (SB3) requires electric utility providers in the ERCOT service area to share a synopsis of involuntary load shedding procedures. When ERCOT orders load shedding, also known as controlled outages, your Transmission Distribution Service Provider (TDSP) must abide by this process to ensure the stability of the ERCOT electric grid. Failure to properly implement load shedding procedures could result in the failure of the grid, which could be long-lasting and have a significant impact on all aspects of life.
For more information, please visit the Transmission Distribution Service Provider (TDSP) sites below:
- Oncor Service Area: https://www.oncor.com/content/dam/oncorwww/documents/partners/rep/Load%20Shed%20Information.pdf
- Centerpoint Service Area: https://www.centerpointenergy.com/en-us/Documents/CEHE-Load-Shed-Document.pdf
- AEP Texas Company Service Area: https://www.aeptexas.com/outages/load-shed-information
- Texas New Mexico Power Company Service Area: https://www.tnmp.com/sites/default/files/2021-12/tnmp-rep-load-shedding.pdf
Critical Care Customers Designation
Residential customers dependent on electric-powered medical equipment, such as those designated as Chronic Condition or Critical Care, in accordance with Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) rule ยง25.497, are encouraged to have a backup plan in the event they lose electricity should a localized outage or load shed event occur. It is important to note that these customers are not excluded from controlled outages and may lose power during a load shed event. Anyone who depends on electricity for life-sustaining equipment should have a backup plan in place.The procedure to apply to be considered a critical care residential customer can be found at: https://www.puc.texas.gov/industry/electric/forms/critical/ccform.pdf
How You Can Help
Typically, before calling for controlled outages, ERCOT takes steps to reduce demand on the electric grid, including asking customers to reduce electric usage. If you have power during controlled outages, consider turning off unnecessary lights and electronics, and delaying the use of large appliances.