Frustrated CPS Energy customers worried about vulnerable community members amid rotating outages

SANTO ANTÓNIO – San Antonio CPS Energy customers say they are concerned about elderly and sick neighbors who are without power during ongoing rotating outages across the state.

Carlos Correa has routinely checked his 90-year-old neighbors, as they have been without power since 2:00 am on Monday due to ongoing rotating outages. He says his calls to CPS Energy for answers about when the power would be restored went unanswered.

“We call everyone. CPS Energy has no one to talk to, no one to give us any information on when our electricity will return, ”Correa told KSAT on Monday night. “As much as we pay for 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 answer about when we’re going to get some kind of electricity back. “

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CPS Energy: Most customers are subject to rotary interruptions as winter continues

CPS Energy claims that energy demand was up to four times higher than expected. Some systems were impacted by high demand and others by equipment failures due to low temperatures.

CPS Energy CEO Paula Gold-Williams said that all power systems are under pressure across the state.

“We are very sorry that this is happening. It is an unprecedented climatic event that we really think that cold weather is behind us, ”said Gold-Williams.

Rudy Garza, of CPS Energy, says that CPS Energy is reaching its customers through all social media platforms, calls and emails. The concessionaire says it is also getting in touch with the elderly and the sick on its list.

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“In some cases, we make automated calls to customers in this group, informing them that if they find themselves in a medical emergency where they are, their home may be too cold or their oxygen tank runs out or something happens, dial 911 and seek medical attention, ”said Garza.

Although temperatures continue to affect energy consumption, CPS Energy expects interruptions to continue, so the company recommends customers to make plans.

Correa urges others to check on their neighbors as well.

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

“We hope to see improvements overnight, but we are facing unprecedented challenges. Our focus tonight is to restore the grid to consistency. 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 this is a big question from 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 everything we can to ensure that we work to make things better for everyone ”.

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“Rotation outages started across the state at around 1:30 am on Monday morning. Utilities system operators are making real-time decisions with real-time information from ERCOT, and these decisions are made in a non-discriminatory manner. Although increasingly difficult to accommodate, utilities work to conserve energy for critical functions (ie, hospitals, government agencies, etc.) to limit the impact on these facilities. It is through this interruption management process, performed in the same period in the main cities of the state, that the network can and should be re-stabilized.

“Know that all participants in the ERCOT network are taking the same steps. The extreme weather drove record energy use across the state. With energy reductions driven by outage management, CPS Energy used more than 4,954 MW yesterday, which was a winter record. If outages had not been proactively managed so far, winter energy demand would have exceeded summer highs for the first time in the history of CPS Energy.

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

The dealership offered the following tips for customers to stay warm and conserve energy:

• Keep warm by wearing layers of loose clothing instead of a single heavy layer.

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

• Wear gloves or mittens to keep your hands warm and use a scarf to warm your neck.

• Use towels to block drafts around doors and windows.

• Be extremely careful when using gasoline powered generators. Do not operate a generator inside your home or other inhabited building. Operate generators only outdoors and make sure that the exhaust is facing the opposite side of your home.

• Do not use camp stoves or outdoor grills inside the house, not even in the garage. This can cause carbon monoxide build-up in your home and can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.

• Save energy on your cell phone in case of an emergency. Some battery saving tips include:

  • Dim 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 at home, keep one phone on for emergency updates and turn off the others to save battery.

• Disconnect sensitive equipment during a power outage, including televisions, computers and other electronic devices that help protect against any voltage irregularities that can occur when power is restored.

• If you have medications that require refrigeration, consult your pharmacist for instructions on how to store during a prolonged outage.

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

• Be extremely cautious outdoors in snowy conditions. Overturned power lines can be hidden by snow, trees or other debris. Always assume that a fallen power line is active. If you see a fallen power line, stay away and immediately call 210-353-4357 (HELP).

Stay Informed

As always, your meteorological authority’s team will keep you updated. You can get the latest forecasts at any time by checking our weather page and downloading the KSAT Weather Authority app – available for Apple and Android devices.

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