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Post by monklady123 on Jun 15, 2021 12:49:08 GMT
I seriously doubt there are any to be bought. We looked last month at getting an extra one to run DH's man cave and they were backordered til the end of the year. We've had one for a month sitting beside our garage. We can't get it hooked up because CPS won't give the OK to the electricians. CPS is still fighting our solar panel install too. We started this process the first of April. Around here you don't need permission from anyone to run a gas-powered generator....you just fire it up and plug a heavy duty extension cord into it, then run that inside and plug in whatever it is you want power for... Usually refrigerators and a fan around here.
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Post by dewryce on Jun 15, 2021 12:52:52 GMT
We've had one for a month sitting beside our garage. We can't get it hooked up because CPS won't give the OK to the electricians. CPS is still fighting our solar panel install too. We started this process the first of April. Around here you don't need permission from anyone to run a gas-powered generator....you just fire it up and plug a heavy duty extension cord into it, then run that inside and plug in whatever it is you want power for... Usually refrigerators and a fan around here. I think she means hooked up to the house so they don’t have to use the extension cords and such, an electrician would need to do the work. I don’t know why the power company would be involved at all, just local government for permits, save for a way to protect their profit. What am I missing?
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Post by Sharon on Jun 15, 2021 12:55:24 GMT
We've had one for a month sitting beside our garage. We can't get it hooked up because CPS won't give the OK to the electricians. CPS is still fighting our solar panel install too. We started this process the first of April. Around here you don't need permission from anyone to run a gas-powered generator....you just fire it up and plug a heavy duty extension cord into it, then run that inside and plug in whatever it is you want power for... Usually refrigerators and a fan around here. Ours is a whole house natural gas generator. It has to be hooked to the electrical grid on our house to kick in automatically when the power goes off.
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Post by Sharon on Jun 15, 2021 12:56:47 GMT
Around here you don't need permission from anyone to run a gas-powered generator....you just fire it up and plug a heavy duty extension cord into it, then run that inside and plug in whatever it is you want power for... Usually refrigerators and a fan around here. I think she means hooked up to the house so they don’t have to use the extension cords and such, an electrician would need to do the work. I don’t know why the power company would be involved at all, just local government for permits, save for a way to protect their profit. What am I missing? It's hooked into CPS's electrical panel on our house so it will automatically come on when the electricity goes out. You have to have CPS's approval before they can hook it in.
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Post by Merge on Jun 15, 2021 13:53:07 GMT
A gasoline generator will allow you to run some appliances like a fridge and some lights and fans, but it won’t run your AC. You don’t need anything special - just some extension cords and several gallons of gas. A whole home natural gas generator is not something you’re going to install by next week, and it’s very expensive anyway. A whole home natural gas generator is what we are waiting for CPS to okay. It has to be hooked into their grid to automatically come on when the power goes out. It's about $7K. Yeah. Probably not in the emergency budget for most people. I have friends - probably with larger houses, or maybe it just costs more where we live - who have paid upwards of $12K for theirs.
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Post by aprilfay21 on Jun 15, 2021 17:03:38 GMT
Of course other states probably get these messages and deal with rolling blackouts, but the thing about ERCOT is that in February they stated that they weren't designed for extreme freezes, they're designed for heat, but now suddenly they're all "sike, we're not built for heat either."
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Post by quinlove on Jun 15, 2021 17:15:28 GMT
Doesn’t seem like that long ago that we were all so proud to live in Texas. That number is dwindling quickly.
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katybee
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,376
Jun 25, 2014 23:25:39 GMT
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Post by katybee on Jun 15, 2021 17:30:44 GMT
Of course other states probably get these messages and deal with rolling blackouts, but the thing about ERCOT is that in February they stated that they weren't designed for extreme freezes, they're designed for heat, but now suddenly they're all "sike, we're not built for heat either." Yep. And the fact that we are an independent, UNREGULATED power grid. Where the people in charge value short term profit above all else.
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Post by teri on Jun 15, 2021 17:48:01 GMT
generators have been on backorder for some time now. Going to be very hard to get one now
and please, please, please if you are unfamiliar with them and get your hands on one, please be careful. Do not run them in a closed space or near an open window. Too many people die from fumes not knowing how to properly use one.
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Post by voltagain on Jun 15, 2021 17:50:10 GMT
I live in DE and we get this kind of message when it gets in the high 80’s. It’s not limited to just Texas. In Texas, Oklahoma and the general area, overnight lows will be in the lower to mid 80s. Day time temps run much hotter. In 2011 we had 63 days of temps over 100 degrees. 21 of those days were more than 105. We are already at a point where night time lows are 70-75 degrees this week with day time highs in the lower to mid 90s. We haven't hit the "heat" of full summer yet. I feel for the Texans! To early to be having power warnings due to heat. We haven't been hearing that yet in OKC.
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keithurbanlovinpea
Pearl Clutcher
Flowing with the go...
Posts: 4,243
Jun 29, 2014 3:29:30 GMT
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Post by keithurbanlovinpea on Jun 15, 2021 17:53:41 GMT
K guys. I'm moving to Dallas next week. What do I need? A generator? What else should we have? Does my house have to be wired for a generator? You guys are scaring me. You'll be fine. It's normal to have some rolling blackouts when energy use hits peaks when it is baking. We are having unusually hot weather for June. Once you get settled you can explore your options. Whole house generators require natural gas an cost upwards of $10 to $15k to install (plus annual maintenance contract fees). Standard generators (get an inverter one) cost less but require more upfront work during use, plus gasoline. We considered a generator for a couple of years with hurricanes being so prevelant here. But we finally did it a few months ago, after the freeze. It's connected to our house with a lockour switch and will run everything except our main AC/heat unit. We have two portable AC and two portable heat units that we can crank up if needed
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Post by hmp on Jun 15, 2021 18:00:21 GMT
While I’m sorry for those suffering, the cynic in me is thinking you get what you vote for.
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Post by crimsoncat05 on Jun 15, 2021 18:05:26 GMT
You'll be fine. It's normal to have some rolling blackouts when energy use hits peaks when it is baking. We are having unusually hot weather for June. maybe it IS unusual weather for June (we're having it in AZ, too: high temps for the 10 day forecast are all well above 105F, with the highest being TWO DAYS OF 118F for a high-- those temps are NOT TYPICALLY EXPECTED until July/August) but what does Texas do differently with its power grid in the actual summer, if you're saying it's typical to have rolling blackouts?? Do you have rolling blackouts in the actual summertime when the temps are that hot? Are you saying that this year it's just happening earlier than expected? We have NEVER had rolling blackouts here in AZ (that I know of) when the temps are that high... people would literally DIE. (my personal feeling is that it's not just a fluke and that these changing/rising temps are due to climate change. I think the temps are just going to keep getting higher for longer out of the year, and the hotter temps will keep moving farther north... which is one of the reasons we're finally talking seriously about leaving AZ.)
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keithurbanlovinpea
Pearl Clutcher
Flowing with the go...
Posts: 4,243
Jun 29, 2014 3:29:30 GMT
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Post by keithurbanlovinpea on Jun 15, 2021 18:09:18 GMT
You'll be fine. It's normal to have some rolling blackouts when energy use hits peaks when it is baking. We are having unusually hot weather for June. maybe it IS unusual weather for June (we're having it in AZ, too: high temps for the 10 day forecast are all well above 105F, with the highest being TWO DAYS OF 118F for a high-- those temps are NOT TYPICALLY EXPECTED until July/August) but what does Texas do differently with its power grid in the actual summer, if you're saying it's typical to have rolling blackouts?? Do you have rolling blackouts in the actual summertime when the temps are that hot? Are you saying that this year it's just happening earlier than expected? We have NEVER had rolling blackouts here in AZ (that I know of) when the temps are that high... people would literally DIE. (my personal feeling is that it's not just a fluke and that these changing/rising temps are due to climate change. I think the temps are just going to keep getting higher for longer out of the year, and the hotter temps will keep moving farther north... which is one of the reasons we're finally talking seriously about leaving AZ.) Yes when it's crazy hot and hitting 100 degrees we get conservation warnings and sometimes rolling blackouts. It's the same reason we had a problem during the freeze. Texas is basically its own grid. No place to get extra power from or give to when needed. We're a lone wolf of power generation.
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Post by crimsoncat05 on Jun 15, 2021 18:13:24 GMT
Yes when it's crazy hot and hitting 100 degrees we get conservation warnings and sometimes rolling blackouts. It's the same reason we had a problem during the freeze. Texas is basically its own grid. No place to get extra power from or give to when needed. We're a lone wolf of power generation. that is crazy!! I mean, I read about it here during the freeze, but I didn't realize how much that 'independence' (negtively) affected the residents all year long.
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oh yvonne
Prolific Pea
Posts: 7,989
Jun 26, 2014 0:45:23 GMT
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Post by oh yvonne on Jun 15, 2021 18:13:58 GMT
So sorry. I thought it was only California that had this issue. I’m expecting to hear that tomorrow and the next few days as we are having a heatwave. Seriously tons of people have solar now so it should be better but seems to be getting worse I agree, I've never seen it this bad. My area had never had issues with blackouts until the last year or so. I'm starting to re-think my food shopping. I keep an outdoor freezer in the garage because I like to bulk buy at Costco but I'm going to finish up what I have in the freezer and just shop more often, at least through the summer heat. I just hated worrying all last summer if I'd lose my freezer full of food. Sorry to Texas, that's horrible for you guys too.
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keithurbanlovinpea
Pearl Clutcher
Flowing with the go...
Posts: 4,243
Jun 29, 2014 3:29:30 GMT
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Post by keithurbanlovinpea on Jun 15, 2021 18:32:21 GMT
Yes when it's crazy hot and hitting 100 degrees we get conservation warnings and sometimes rolling blackouts. It's the same reason we had a problem during the freeze. Texas is basically its own grid. No place to get extra power from or give to when needed. We're a lone wolf of power generation. that is crazy!! I mean, I read about it here during the freeze, but I didn't realize how much that 'independence' (negtively) affected the residents all year long. Yup. I'm used to it because I grew up here. It ticks me off that ERCOT isn't being held accountable but that's what these yahoo's who voted for Abbott get. I wish they'd penalize businesses for energy use like when downtown was lit up like a Christmas tree during the freeze while we homeowners went without power
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lizacreates
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,856
Aug 29, 2015 2:39:19 GMT
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Post by lizacreates on Jun 15, 2021 18:36:56 GMT
You'll be fine. It's normal to have some rolling blackouts when energy use hits peaks when it is baking. We are having unusually hot weather for June. maybe it IS unusual weather for June (we're having it in AZ, too: high temps for the 10 day forecast are all well above 105F, with the highest being TWO DAYS OF 118F for a high-- those temps are NOT TYPICALLY EXPECTED until July/August) but what does Texas do differently with its power grid in the actual summer, if you're saying it's typical to have rolling blackouts?? Do you have rolling blackouts in the actual summertime when the temps are that hot? Are you saying that this year it's just happening earlier than expected? We have NEVER had rolling blackouts here in AZ (that I know of) when the temps are that high... people would literally DIE. (my personal feeling is that it's not just a fluke and that these changing/rising temps are due to climate change. I think the temps are just going to keep getting higher for longer out of the year, and the hotter temps will keep moving farther north... which is one of the reasons we're finally talking seriously about leaving AZ.) AZ has the largest nuclear plant in the country and you can import energy from other states when needed. I don’t know how to post a picture here but if you look at North America’s map of power interconnections you can clearly see that AZ is interconnected with many states (in fact, you're in the largest group). You’ll also see that TX is a standalone.
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Post by freecharlie on Jun 15, 2021 18:59:17 GMT
You'll be fine. It's normal to have some rolling blackouts when energy use hits peaks when it is baking. We are having unusually hot weather for June. maybe it IS unusual weather for June (we're having it in AZ, too: high temps for the 10 day forecast are all well above 105F, with the highest being TWO DAYS OF 118F for a high-- those temps are NOT TYPICALLY EXPECTED until July/August) but what does Texas do differently with its power grid in the actual summer, if you're saying it's typical to have rolling blackouts?? Do you have rolling blackouts in the actual summertime when the temps are that hot? Are you saying that this year it's just happening earlier than expected? We have NEVER had rolling blackouts here in AZ (that I know of) when the temps are that high... people would literally DIE. (my personal feeling is that it's not just a fluke and that these changing/rising temps are due to climate change. I think the temps are just going to keep getting higher for longer out of the year, and the hotter temps will keep moving farther north... which is one of the reasons we're finally talking seriously about leaving AZ.) we can have rolling brown outs which lessen the amount t of power going out and people voluntarily put a saver switch on their ac so that it cycles during peak use, but rolling blackouts shouldn't be normal. They should be working to fix it so that doesn't happen. And I agree with the rest of the post it has been high 90s hitting 100 in parts of Colorado all week Not normal for June...usually waits for July
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twinsmomfla99
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,949
Jun 26, 2014 13:42:47 GMT
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Post by twinsmomfla99 on Jun 15, 2021 19:05:51 GMT
What’s going to happen in July when it’s well into the hundreds every day? everyone better buy generators right now for later when there are blackouts, I guess... those legislators sure know what's important (to themselves), don't they?? That is a short-term solution. But with gas prices so high, it will be expensive to run generators, and they don't power much in the way of AC unless you have a whole-house generator installed. If I lived in TX, I would be getting some solar panels installed ASAP and avoid the nightmare of a power grid they have set up down there. ETA: My mom has a whole-house generator here in WV. She loves having it because my brother with disabilities (CP, autism, ID) can't handle the heat and NEEDS his TV. Seriously, being stuck inside without power is sheer torture for him and is a nightmare for my mom. And without power to charge his electric wheelchair, he isn't going anywhere outside the house either. It kicks in automatically when the power goes out, and it is powered by natural gas. The longest she has ever had to use one was 9 days back in 2012 (before she moved into her new house) when a derecho caused widespread outages throughout the area. At the time, she was living way out in the country and had to power the generator with propane. The extended outage cost about $1000 in propane, but it was worth it to her. The one she currently has is not as expensive because she lives in a neighborhood where she has a natural gas line connected to it, so an extended outage would not be so ridiculously expensive.
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Post by Merge on Jun 15, 2021 19:37:09 GMT
I guess I’m having amnesia about my 24 years in Texas because I can’t recall rolling blackouts being a “normal” or “regular” thing, much less the threat of extended outages. I can recall one instance of rolling blackouts and zero extended outages that weren’t due to storms.
The current situation is apparently due to the fact that several power generators are currently offline. They won’t say which ones, and they won’t say why. If it’s routine maintenance, wouldn’t that be scheduled during a less hot time of year?
Our state leadership is continually more concerned about maintaining their racist and misogynist power structure than about improving the lives of Texans.
ETA: we’ve looked into solar and it’s quite expensive also - more than $15K when we got a quote earlier this year, after the freeze. Not something we’re likely to do right now, and not something easily in the reach of most Texas homeowners (nevermind those who rent).
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Post by dewryce on Jun 15, 2021 22:21:38 GMT
While I’m sorry for those suffering, the cynic in me is thinking you get what you vote for. You’re missing the posts where it mentions the extreme gerrymandering going on here. And voter suppression.
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Post by dewryce on Jun 15, 2021 22:23:25 GMT
maybe it IS unusual weather for June (we're having it in AZ, too: high temps for the 10 day forecast are all well above 105F, with the highest being TWO DAYS OF 118F for a high-- those temps are NOT TYPICALLY EXPECTED until July/August) but what does Texas do differently with its power grid in the actual summer, if you're saying it's typical to have rolling blackouts?? Do you have rolling blackouts in the actual summertime when the temps are that hot? Are you saying that this year it's just happening earlier than expected? We have NEVER had rolling blackouts here in AZ (that I know of) when the temps are that high... people would literally DIE. (my personal feeling is that it's not just a fluke and that these changing/rising temps are due to climate change. I think the temps are just going to keep getting higher for longer out of the year, and the hotter temps will keep moving farther north... which is one of the reasons we're finally talking seriously about leaving AZ.) Yes when it's crazy hot and hitting 100 degrees we get conservation warnings and sometimes rolling blackouts. It's the same reason we had a problem during the freeze. Texas is basically its own grid. No place to get extra power from or give to when needed. We're a lone wolf of power generation. I live in the San Antonio area and I don’t remember any rolling blackouts, going back to 1999. It’s possible I have forgotten one, but I’d say if we have any at all in this area, they’re rare.
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anaterra
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,785
Location: Texas
Jun 29, 2014 3:04:02 GMT
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Post by anaterra on Jun 15, 2021 22:38:43 GMT
I live in West Texas.... i have never had rolling blackouts in the summer... or really ever.... that doesnt happen in my area of Texas...
Curious where the pp who does get regular rolls lives...
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Post by mikewozowski on Jun 15, 2021 23:37:13 GMT
K guys. I'm moving to Dallas next week. What do I need? A generator? What else should we have? Does my house have to be wired for a generator? You guys are scaring me. If you want to connect it up so the generator can directly power certain areas of your house you do. Otherwise you have to plug the stuff into the handful of outlets that are on the generator itself which means multiple long heavy duty extension cords, etc. and that isn’t exactly convenient. After our power was out for close to a week several years back, we hired an electrician to come and connect a separate little box to connect our generator directly to the house. It will only power the cooktop, the microwave, our freezers and refrigerators and the well pump, but at least we’ll be able to eat and flush the toilet if the power ever goes out for that long again. not exactly. you can run the power from your generator to your breaker box and power what you want to that way. you can also convert your gas generator to run on natural gas, thus eliminating having to have cans of gas on hand.
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stittsygirl
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,576
Location: In the leaves and rain.
Jun 25, 2014 19:57:33 GMT
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Post by stittsygirl on Jun 16, 2021 0:30:46 GMT
We lived eight years in central Texas and I also never remember any rolling blackouts. We moved from their six years ago so maybe they’ve had some since then.
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Post by myshelly on Jun 16, 2021 0:48:32 GMT
that is crazy!! I mean, I read about it here during the freeze, but I didn't realize how much that 'independence' (negtively) affected the residents all year long. Yup. I'm used to it because I grew up here. It ticks me off that ERCOT isn't being held accountable but that's what these yahoo's who voted for Abbott get. I wish they'd penalize businesses for energy use like when downtown was lit up like a Christmas tree during the freeze while we homeowners went without power I have lived in Texas my entire life and never experienced rolling blackouts during the summer. I have experienced them during ice storms in the past (not just the clusterfuck this past year), but never in the summer. I see other Texas peas saying the same.
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katybee
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,376
Jun 25, 2014 23:25:39 GMT
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Post by katybee on Jun 16, 2021 0:54:43 GMT
I’ve been in Texas (Austin)15 years now and never experienced rolling blackouts until this past winter nightmare. Never before in the summer. Temps have actually been pretty mild so far this summer. We’ve had a very rainy, humid summer. We are now entering our summer weather pattern of sunny, highs in the low 100’s, lows in the mid 70’s. The more hot days we have in a row, the harder it is to cool down your house, because there is no respite at night.
I do remember rolling blackouts when I lived in California, but we would always know well in advance when we were scheduled to have them and they wouldn’t last more than an hour or so. I also remember our power rates were based on how much electricity you used…the more you used, the more it cost. We didn’t have AC (and we lived in a nice, modern house). You really didn’t need it. I remember on the really hot days, we would head to the mall. (This was circa 2000).
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katybee
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,376
Jun 25, 2014 23:25:39 GMT
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Post by katybee on Jun 16, 2021 0:59:19 GMT
Also—the reason I think we’re having so many problems with our power grid now is because it has been WOEFULLY neglected. You can only go so long sucking it dry without reinvesting to do repairs/upgrades. Profit over people. And nobody will hold anybody accountable. Free market and all that…
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TXMary
Pearl Clutcher
And so many nights I just dream of the ocean. God, I wish I was sailin' again.
Posts: 2,775
Jun 26, 2014 17:25:06 GMT
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Post by TXMary on Jun 16, 2021 3:27:46 GMT
I have lived in West Texas as a child and here in Central Texas since 1971. I only remember having rolling blackouts one time (before this past winter) and it was during a winter ice storm many years ago. I don’t ever remember having any rolling blackouts or extended outages in the summer months.
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