Electricity Usage to Skyrocket in Texas This Summer
This summer experts say Texas is going to see record breaking electricity consumption that will impact all consumers. This is why more and more Texans are looking to go green, switch to solar energy instead and not only take care of nature but also their household budget.
photo/Gerd Altmann
$500 electricity bills are common in Texas during summers so going green is even more enticing; besides giving a hand in using clean energy, electricity bills make solar energy more and more attractive.
Even if the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) says the demand of the population is sure to be met this summer, with enough generating capacity to meet the peek months, they do acknowledge this year is going to see record breaking usage.
However reassuring ERCOT’s announcement about there being enough electric energy production capacities is, there is real concern about this margin; the rising consumption makes all the worries justified and there is enough reason to start looking at green energy and plain old conservation. The hot months ahead are surely going to be challenging.
As Bruce Bullock, Maguire Energy Institute Director with the Southern Methodist University Cox School of Business puts it: “The bottom line is it’s still going to be rather tight compared to some previous summers.” And not only that there will be challenges in term of the production capacities, but also increased costs with electricity bills for the population: “If you happen to have a contract for your electricity at your home that is variably priced, then it’s gonna get expensive,” and “you can save a lot of money if you shop around for your plan” as Bullock puts it. This makes comparing Texas electricity rates and plans all the more important and you shouldn’t overlook this step; the bills are really going to be hot this summer!
Of course, if you are able to invest in solar panels and put the hot Texas summer sun to work for you, the benefits are not going to be small. You can easily continue paying pretty much as you are used to on electricity bills if you start installing solar panels and let those take care of parts of your home.
Author: Stefan Ditro
photo courtesy of De Aar Solar Power
