CPS Energy customers are frustrated, concerned about vulnerable community members in the midst of rotating shutdowns

SAINT ANTHONY – San Antonio CPS Energy customers say they are concerned about elderly and sick neighbors who are without electricity during rotating outages that occur statewide.

Carlos Correa has been routinely checking on his 90-year-old neighbors as they have been without electricity since two a.m. Monday due to ongoing rotating interruptions. He says his calls to CPS Energy for answers on when power would be restored have not been answered.

“It simply came to our notice then. CPS Energy has no one to talk to, no one to give us any information, even when our electricity will work again, ”Correa told KSAT on Monday evening. “No matter how much we pay for our electricity usage every month, (they are) so unprepared with anyone, with any kind of customer service or any kind of emergency command center to give us some kind of response as to when “I’ll get some electricity back.”

Announcements

CPS Energy: Most customers are subject to rotating interruptions as the winter weather continues

CPS Energy says energy demand has been up to four times higher than expected. Some systems have been affected by high demand and others by equipment failure due to cold temperatures.

CPS Energy CEO Paula Gold-Williams said all energy systems are stressed across the state.

“It simply came to our notice then. It’s an unprecedented weather event that we really thought the cold weather was behind us, “said Gold-Williams.

Rudy Garza, with CPS Energy, claims that CPS Energy reaches its customers through all social media platforms, calls and emails. The utility company says it also gets in touch with elderly and sick people on its list.

Announcements

“In some cases, we’ve made automatic calls to customers in this group, letting them know that if they’re in a medical emergency where they’re in, maybe their house gets too cold or the oxygen tank runs out or passes something. Dial 911 and seek medical attention, “Garza said.

While temperatures will continue to affect energy consumption, CPS Energy expects the outages to continue, so the company is urging customers to make plans.

Correa urges others to visit his neighbors as well.

On Monday night, Gold-Williams issued the following statement:

“We look forward to seeing improvements overnight, but we face unprecedented challenges. Our goal tonight is to restore the consistency of the grid. Conservation is important and we ask our community to continue to do everything possible. to limit the use of electricity and natural gas.We understand that it is a big question of our customers and we sincerely apologize for the problems this is causing them.Our customers are our neighbors, family and friends, and we are doing as much as we can to make sure we work to make things better for everyone. “

Announcements

“The rotating interruptions began across the state around 1:30 a.m. Monday. Utility system operators are making real-time decisions with real-time information coming from ERCCOT, and these decisions are made in a non-discriminatory manner. Although it is becoming increasingly difficult to accommodate, utilities are working to preserve energy for critical functions (i.e., hospitals, government entities, etc.) to limit the impact on these facilities. It is through this process of interruption management, executed in the same period of time in the main cities of the whole state, that the network can and must be stabilized again.

“Keep in mind that all participants in the ERCOT grid are taking the same steps. Extreme weather has driven a statewide energy use record. With energy reductions driven by shutdown management, CPS Energy consumed more than 4,954 MW yesterday, which was a winter record. Had they not been proactively managed so far, winter energy demand would have surpassed summer highs for the first time in CPS Energy history.

Announcements

To help keep residents off-road and safe, CPS Energy access centers will close on Tuesday, February 16, 2021. In addition, the Braunig and Calaveras parks and lakes will be closed until further notice. “

The utility company offered the following tips to keep customers warm and conserve energy:

• Keep warm by dressing in tight layers of clothing instead of a single heavy coat.

• Wear a hat, even inside. Keeping your head warm helps keep your body warm.

• Wear gloves or gloves to keep your hands warm and wear a handkerchief to keep your neck warm.

• Use towels to block drafts around doors and windows.

• Be very careful when using gasoline powered generators. Do not operate a generator inside your home or other inhabited building. Run only outdoor generators and make sure the exhaust is out of your home.

• Do not use camping stoves or outdoor grills indoors, or even in the garage. These can cause carbon monoxide buildup in the home and can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.

• Save mobile phone power in an emergency. Some battery saving tips include:

  • Turn off the screen light

  • Turn off Bluetooth

  • Close all unused applications

  • If possible, use text to communicate instead of making a call

  • If you have multiple cell phones in your home, keep one for emergency updates and turn off the others to preserve battery life.

• Disconnect sensitive equipment during a power outage, including TVs, computers, and other electronic devices, which will help protect you from voltage irregularities that may occur as power is restored.

• If you have medicines that require refrigeration, consult your pharmacist for storage instructions during a prolonged electrical outage.

• If you have a garage door opener, review the instructions for manually opening the garage door.

• Be very careful outdoors in snowy conditions. Fallen power lines can be hidden by snow, trees or other debris. We always assume that a fallen power line is active. If you see a power line fall, stay away and call us immediately at 210-353-4357 (HELP).

Stay informed

As always, the Your Weather Authority team will keep you up to date. You can get the latest forecast at any time by marking our weather page and downloading the KSAT Weather Authority app, available for both Apple and Android devices.

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