Wherever you live in the United States, you rely on your local power grid to help consistently keep the lights on. But only one state in the continental United States can boast having its very own power grid, and that’s (you guessed it) Texas.
That’s not the only reason the Texas power grid is noteworthy. The Texas power grid is special for many reasons, and we’re going to go through everything that makes the Lone Star State’s electric transmission system unique.
What Makes the Texas Power Grid Special?
In the continental U.S., 47 states belong to one of two regional power grids: the Eastern Interconnection or the Western Interconnection. Texas is the only state in the continental United States to go its own way, and its self-contained power grid is known as the Texas Interconnection.
If you live in Texas or are familiar with the state, then you won’t be surprised about the reason for Texas having its own power grid. By keeping the Texas power grid contained within Texas, the Lone Star State effectively exempts itself from most regulation from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (which oversees interstate energy issues).
In other words, don’t mess with Texas’s power grid.
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How Big Is the Texas Power Grid?
They say that everything is bigger in Texas, and that’s certainly true for the size of the state’s power grid too. The Texas power grid contains more than 46,500 miles of transmission lines, and more than 650 facilities for power generation.
The grid serves more than 26 million Texans, who rely on the power system for consistent, uninterrupted power supply. That’s no small task, and it requires a constant balancing of supply and demand in order to prevent (and respond to) power outages.
Who Manages the Texas Power Grid?
The Texas power grid is operated by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, commonly abbreviated to ERCOT. ERCOT serves more than 26 million Texans, and helps coordinate the system of transmission lines and substations that connect power generation sources with customers.
Is the Texas Power Grid Reliable?
There are few things more frustrating or disruptive for home or business owners than power outages. ERCOT works hard to keep supply and demand perfectly in balance to help avoid blackouts or power outages, but sometimes these events can’t be avoided, so it’s important to be prepared for one.
Outages can occur when there’s a disruption to Texas power supply (for example, when there’s an issue at a power plant that interrupts power generation). When this happens, ERCOT works in real-time to coordinate with electric providers to try and increase power supply elsewhere to help offset the outage.
Extreme weather can also wreak havoc on the Texas power grid. This can happen in a variety of different ways. During the summer, extreme heat can cause demand spikes as Texans crank their air conditioning to stay cool. That increase in demand can put an enormous strain on the Texas power grid, and ERCOT needs to coordinate with electric providers to increase supply in real-time to help keep the lights on.
Alternatively, extreme weather during wintertime can disrupt the Texas power grid. When extreme cold weather rolls through the Lone Star State, Texans turn their heat up in order to stay warm during the cold snap, and this increase in demand stresses the Texas power grid.
At the same time, winter storms can hurt grid reliability in the state of Texas on the supply side. Winter storms and winter weather can disrupt operations at power plants, and this affects the entire power supply chain.
What Happened During the Texas Winter Storm of 2021?
The Texas winter storm in February 2021 was historic, and not in a good way. Extreme cold weather disrupted power production at many of the state’s power plants.
Renewable energy sources like wind and solar power struggled to generate their typical power supply, which contributed to outages. Similarly, natural gas-fired power plants experienced widespread decreases in power generation as a result of the extreme cold weather, and the Texas power grid simply didn’t receive enough power to meet spiking demand from Texans trying to stay warm.
The 2021 winter storm also exposed a troubling relationship between natural gas production and power generation in Texas. Widespread power outages disrupted natural gas production in real-time, as the gas industry struggled to keep wells running during the winter storm. This led to a drop in gas supply, which then led to further disruptions in power generation — a destructive cycle.
As a result of the 2021 Texas winter storm, the leadership of ERCOT underwent a major shakeup. Many members of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas’ board of directors resigned, and the CEO of ERCOT was fired.
Additionally, members of the Texas Railroad Commission, which oversees the state’s oil and gas industries, faced increased scrutiny following the winter storm. The Texas Railroad Commission has since passed new rules to try to prevent a repeat of the February 2021 winter storm outages.
Texas lawmakers and Texas state governor Greg Abbott have all pledged to make sure that the Texas electric grid will be more reliable in the future.
How Can I Track Outages in the Texas Power Grid?
During times of blackouts or outages, it’s important to know where the power is still on, and where it isn’t. One simple way to track outages is to visit the website PowerOutage.US, which provides a real-time map of outages in the Texas power grid.
If you’re currently experiencing an outage, you can navigate to this website on your cell phone (provided it’s charged and has a cellular data connection) to better understand the extent of the outage. You can also contact your local electric utility to get a better idea about when you might expect your electricity service to return.
Are There Different Options for Texas Power Plans?
Whether you live in Austin, Houston, or someplace else in the state of Texas, you likely have a number of different options for your Texas power plan. That’s because the state has a deregulated electricity market.
In this deregulated electricity market, there’s no single public utility providing power to a region. Instead, a variety of different companies called retail electric providers (REPs) compete for the business of customers. To stay competitive, they offer a variety of different Texas power plans to their customers.
If you’re interested in learning more about the different Texas power providers you’re likely to see as you shop for electricity, check out our comprehensive guide here.
Can I Compare Texas Power Rates?
Now that you know you have plenty of options when it comes to your Texas electric provider, you’ll want to know how to find the best provider for your home or business. One of the most important ways to make this choice is to find the best Texas power rate available.
Fortunately, it’s easy to compare Texas power rates. The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) has set up an official website that lets you compare Texas power rates and Texas power plans, all in one place.
To get started, navigate to the website PowertoChoose.org. Once there, all you need to do is enter your zip code in order to see a list of all the different electric providers in your area. You’ll also be able to compare the different Texas power plans and Texas power rates.
The website is easy to use, but if you’d like to learn more about how to get the most out of the Power to Choose website.
By comparing Texas power rates, you can find the best Texas power provider for you, and in the process potentially reduce your monthly energy bill.
What Is the Best Power Company in Texas?
We’ve learned a lot about the Texas power grid. We know more about its extraordinary size, about what makes it different from nearly every other state’s power grid, and about the challenges it faces to keep electricity reliable and avoid blackouts.
We’ve also learned about the simplest way to compare Texas electricity rates and compare Texas power plans. There’s one question left to answer, though: What is the best power company in Texas?
That’s a difficult question to answer, in part because there are more than 100 REPs currently operating in the Lone Star State. It’s also difficult to identify one single electric provider as the best power company in Texas because of the size of the state — no single electric provider can serve every Texan.
Instead, we can ask the question like this: What is the best Texas power company near you? We have a more comprehensive answer to that question here, but we can also tip you off to three Texas power companies that have stellar reputations for providing customers with reliable electricity and top-notch customer service.
Tara Energy has been serving customers for more than 20 years, and it provides its customers with a number of different Texas power plans at competitive Texas power rates.
Just Energy and Amigo Energy are two more top-tier Texas power companies. If you live in the service area of any of these three Texas power providers, then you’re in luck. They could be the best Texas power companies for you.
If you’re interested in learning more about how to shop for Texas power, or about a wide variety of energy topics, be sure to read more at the Tara Energy blog.
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