Electric Rates at Record Highs
By: Julie Musgrave
Updated: July 14, 2009
Texas sets a major record this week for electric use, beating it's own record set just a few weeks ago.
Statewide, we're seeing usage of almost 64,000 megawatts an hour. There's been no reported blackouts yet, but power companies are definitely struggling to keep up with demand.
Fortunately for us here in West Texas, we're not seeing the same kinds of problems, mostly because we use several different sources of power.
That helps us keep it even between demands and helps with cost, even when temperatures continue to hit triple digits.
Chris Simms, Lubbock Power and Light: "Lubbock's growing, so we have more demand for electricity, and the heat's been just a tad bit hotter, humidity's been just a little bit higher, so we have set our new peak demand this year. Which is to be expected, based upon growth, but the heat's got us put back a little bit this year, like everyone else."
You can save a lot on energy costs just by cutting back on usage between Lubbock's peak electric hours of 3 and 7 p.m.
