POWER

Given the last few winters here in Texas, we know how easy it is to lose power during an ice or snow storm in Houston.

Four electricity substations in the Tacoma, Washington, area were attacked Sunday, affecting thousands of customers, authorities said.

Residents who live on Bolivar Peninsula in Galveston County had to spend Christmas Day without power.

Every year dozens of people die from carbon monoxide poisoning in the aftermath of storms.

What’s 10 points worth.

Will Power has tied Mario Andretti for the most poles in IndyCar series history.

Samantha Power's job as the top official in charge of U.S. food aid includes a new task since Russia invaded Ukraine — countering Russia's messages abroad.

Never underestimate the power of social media. As one Astros fan can tell you, well enough, when the internet comes together to return precious items, it can be a homerun.

We protect our homes and property by locking doors and gates. We put passwords on accounts with sensitive information. But KPRC 2 Investigates discovered there’s nothing you can do to protect your electric service from getting canceled or switched without your consent.

On Friday afternoon, ERCOT asked Texans to conserve power by setting their thermostats at 78-degrees or above and avoiding the usage of large appliances during peak hours this weekend.

The winter storm that blacked out much of Texas in February 2021 was brutal, but some neighborhoods throughout the greater Harris County area were fare worse off than others when it came to power restoration.

Houstonians are preparing for a potential freeze this week.

Many states in the U.S. are coming to the conclusion that solar, wind and other renewable power sources might not be enough to keep the lights on as they seek to dramatically cut their use of fossil fuels.

As 2021 ends and we reflect back on the year -- one event Texans will not forget is the winter freeze that caused major power outages across the state.

Former customers of Griddy Energy are off the hook. A settlement between the Texas Attorney General and the wholesale electric provider means customers stuck with huge bills from the February freeze won't have to pay a dime.

Summer is not over yet folks!

Will Power took the lead early Saturday, then watched it shrink over the final half of the race before holding on to win another Indianapolis Grand Prix.

On Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott signed sweeping legislation to prevent another weather disaster that crippled the state back in February.

KPRC 2 Investigates presents a “Power Struggle: The Texas Energy Crisis.”

The advertiser paid a fee to promote this sponsored article and may have influenced or authored the content. The views expressed in this article are those of the advertiser and do not necessarily reflect those of this site or affiliated companies. Have you considered switching energy providers? It might be on your mind especially following last month’s winter storm. If you recall, the winter storm left millions of Texans without power.

HOUSTON – After two days and two hearings, Texas state senators and representatives will begin deciding how to reform the embattled Electric Reliability Council of Texas, ERCOT, which manages the flow of electricity across our state. Magness testified ERCOT is asking each of the 185 power plants that went down during the storm to provide specific reasons for the outages. Nye testified his list did include natural gas facilities, but he learned during the storm his list was not the most current. Garland Power and Light COO Tom Hancock told state senators the company invested in a robust winterization effort following the 2011 winter storm that caused similar problems in Texas. Hancock said as a result none of the natural gas facilities in their territory went offline.

HOUSTON – Last week’s electric shortage has given some customers a jolt. Some people who were on variable rate wholesale electricity plans now owe thousands of dollars for just one month of power. If you were to switch providers today, Jesson Bradshaw, the CEO of Energy Ogre says rates are not bad. CenterPoint is now going back and correcting that usage data to send to retail electric providers so they know what to charge customers. And if you’re on a switch hold, you can not switch from your provider,” said Davies.

The Griddy app displays the current wholesale electricity price on a phone in this 2019 file photo. HOUSTON – A Chambers County woman has filed a proposed class action lawsuit against the electric company, Griddy. This is not the first time Griddy customers have felt the effects of extreme weather on the electric bills. This means that if the company’s wholesale price goes up, the customer’s price goes up as well. It’s unclear how many other Texans also pay wholesale prices from other companies.

As part of our Ask 2 series, the newsroom will answer your questions about all things Houston. Question: Do we still need to conserve electricity? ERCOT ended emergency operations last Friday after power outages forced the electrical grid to conserve power during the winter storm. Thank you for your help in saving energy while the need was greatest! @ERCOT_ISO has returned to normal operations and conservation is no longer being requested.

On February 8, ERCOT notified power generators freezing temperatures were on the way and would last from February 11 to 15. At 12:17 a.m. on February 15, ERCOT moved to a Level 1 Energy Emergency Alert and asked for power conservation. ERCOT is urging consumers and businesses to reduce electricity usage.”At1:25 a.m. ERCOT was at EEA Level 3, the highest level. AdERCOT reported a total of 185 power plants were offline during the storm. Once adopted, power plants could face stiff penalties if weatherization standards are not followed.

Investigating the Texas power gridThe forecast was for record breaking cold for Texas, including Houston. KPRC Investigates reporter Robert Arnold takes a deep dive into what went wrong and is a guest on this week’s Houston Newsmakers with Khambrel Marshall. After his second impeachment acquittal, former president Trump may have a renewed ability to play a pivotal role in the future of the Republican Party but to what end? “He has the ability to make life very difficult for the Republican party, particularly in seats that are competitive seats where they want some moderate or centrist moderate candidates,” Jones said. “I think that he’s going to be the butt of national jokes for a while,” Professor Rottinghaus said.

HOUSTON – Leaders with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) ended emergency protocols and ceased rotating outages Friday morning. ERCOT leaders said enough power plants came back online to bring stability to the state’s power grid. With the crisis now passed, Magness said ERCOT is sending out Request for Information to all power generators who went offline during the storm. Magness said these RFI’s will help ERCOT gain a better understanding of exactly why 185 power plants tripped offline Sunday night and Monday morning. AdDan Woodfin, ERCOT senior director of system operations, said the state’s grid unexpectedly lost 40% of its power supply during the storm.

HOUSTON – Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) officials held a news conference Thursday to address the current power situation in Texas, saying there is a possibility that outages could continue if demand outstrips supply as people come back online. AdIn addition to the discussion about the current situation, ERCOT said information about the facilities that failed and a timeline of events will eventually come out in weeks or even perhaps months ahead. The officials also addressed local calls for the ERCOT board to be replaced, saying if the Texas Legislature would sanction such a change, it would follow such governance. Discussing winterization of facilities, ERCOT officials said that’s a matter for the owners who operate the facilities across the state. The ERCOT officials declined to give a grade to themselves when pressed by reporters, with one saying, “I think other people ought to grade us.

Not because it will get anyone’s lights on faster, but because residents and business owners could be out a lot of money if some electricity providers start to fold in the days ahead. CenterPoint said customers without power should be prepared to have no power for several more days. - These conditions in the electric industry mean we will likely start to see some retail electric providers (These are the companies you pay for electricity.) That is what the retail electric providers pay to get it. Some electric providers are telling customers to please leave... even offering $100 off their last electric bills to encourage customers to go somewhere else.

Greg Abbott on Tuesday declared the reform of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas an emergency item for the upcoming 2021 legislative session. “The Electric Reliability Council of Texas has been anything but reliable over the past 48 hours,” Abbott said in a statement Tuesday. “Far too many Texans are without power and heat for their homes as our state faces freezing temperatures and severe winter weather. I've asked the House State Affairs and Energy Resources Committees to convene a joint hearing on Feb. 25 about the factors that led to sustained power outages across Texas. Governor Dan Patrick also expressed his concerns over ERCOT’s handling of the power outages, announcing that the Senate Business & Commerce committee would move forward with hearings to assess the ERCOT’s operations.

Meghan Ballard Arthur, of Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management, is doing her best to keep her family warm. Like many residents of Montgomery County, Arthur and her family have been without power for the last 24 hours. She says she and her family have used blankets to seal windows and doors, and have moved into an inner room of the home to stay warm. She asks that Montgomery County residents be patient as crews work to get power restored, and acknowledges that power infrastructure was not set up for an event such as the one experienced in the area, with temperatures plummeting into the teens. Warming stations have been set up for residents with no power or water.

HOUSTON – More than 1 million customers in the Houston area are left without power in the coldest stretch of weather in decades. “The private company providers and generators of that power, their operations totally froze up,” Abbott said. He posted a Tweet that said, “Neither the City of Houston nor Harris County controls or regulates ERCOT or the power generators. “The ERCOT market design is fatally flawed,” said Ed Hirs, the University of Houston energy fellow. Hirs said those generators typically focus their efforts on the summer months -- when they expect their power plants to have high demand.

INDIANAPOLIS – Will Power will start from the pole Saturday at Indianapolis after posting the fastest lap in morning qualifying. It's his fifth pole this season and the 61st career pole, which is second all-time behind Mario Andretti (67). “We made a lot of changes last night," Power said, explaining he was not satisfied with Friday's car. And when Newgarden won Friday's race , with Dixon finishing ninth, the lead was trimmed to 40 points with two races remaining. “It will take more horsepower we'll use more in these conditions, where as in July it would have been easy to do a two-stop race," Power said.