Dear Valued United Member,
United Cooperative Services is urging members to follow its lead in erring on the side of caution in preparing in advance for a winter storm that—nearly a year after the devastating effects of Winter Storm Uri—is being forecast to again bring freezing winter temperatures and the possibility of freezing moisture to the greater North Texas area between Wednesday, Feb.2, and Friday, Feb. 4.
United is hoping for the best, preparing for the worst in the company’s response to the coming cold snap—even if current projections show the coming arctic front will be of shorter duration than experienced during last February’s five-day, extreme cold event.
Among those cooperative strides will be a continuing focus to keep members apprised of timely developments as they occur and as they may relate to electric reliability, through direct member communications, social media and on United’s website.
Sub-freezing lows are predicted with the coming storm’s passing, and memories of last winter’s storm are still fresh for statewide consumers.
While spokespersons for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) informed statewide energy communicators on Monday that significant gains had been made in comprehensive infrastructure weatherization across Texas’ energy sectors, they reported total demand during this event was expected to hit a record level by Friday. Further, they said that available capacity across the grid during the period was contingent on wind production, consumer electric usage and this winter storm’s severity.
United will utilize its communications channels, including social media, to inform members of any new information from ERCOT on grid conditions.
United advises members to take measures now that may help offset conditions experienced if weather-related power outages result from ice loads on power lines and tree limbs, or in the event capacity shortfalls across the ERCOT grid might again necessitate controlled-rotating outages among the state’s electric delivery providers.
As of Monday afternoon, the cooperative was anticipating that the period between midnight on Wednesday, Feb. 2 and early Friday morning, Feb. 4, likely represented the most critical timeframe for ice/snow effects on distribution infrastructure, as well as the potential for tighter generation conditions at ERCOT.
Helpful residential winterization tips can be found in the My Home tabs. These can not only help protect member homes, but also help homeowners conserve and waste less energy during high energy usage events, such as the coming winter storm.
Find a preparedness list in the tabs of the Electrical Safety page.