ENCORE ENERGY POWER OUTAGE SOFTWARE
Additionally, computer hardware and software were updated.Īs far as the storm goes, Oncor points to costs of “approximately $90 million in operation and maintenance restoration costs.”Īs with any major storm, Oncor said, they will “seek recovery of these costs in a future rate proceeding.” Other work included replacing and upgrading substation and distribution facilities. In an email response, Oncor stated part of the money was used for transformers, capacitors, and meters required to meet load growth requirements. Oncor is talking specifically about the $860 million it dumped into new investments in that time period. Its investments to serve distribution customers counts as of the end of 2020. Still, Oncor said in a rambling May 5 press release that the rate increase it is seeking has nothing to do with the storm. In a three-month period that ended March 31, 2021, the $2.2 billion company reported a net income of $168 million, compared to net income of $131 million in the first quarter of 2020. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ordered Griddy, one of the biggest offenders, to cancel more than $29 million in charges, and the company went bankrupt. One family received a whopping $10,000 electric bill. Some customers who had automatic payment withdrawals set up with Griddy Energy had their bank accounts emptied. This may help your household budgeting, but if market prices fall you may have to wait until your contract ends to enjoy a lower price.”įollowing the storm, a public outcry echoed across the state when some customers on variable plans were hit with astronomical bills reaching into the hundreds and in some cases thousands of dollars.
Built into the commission’s wording about electricity plans is the following: “If you choose a plan with a fixed rate, your price per kWh will not change during your contract period except for changes in Transmission and Distribution fees, changes in ERCOT, the Texas electric grid, or Texas Regional Entity administrative fees, or changes resulting from federal, state or local laws that impose fees beyond your REP’s control. This is the same agency that touts the ability of Texans to choose from either fixed rate or variable plans. The Texas Public Utilities Commission makes the final decision, and that is expected to happen sometime in late July or early August.
Not if cell towers are down during an outage.ĭoes Oncor’s rate increase stand a chance? It could. Would a new and nifty app improve communication during a severe storm? Sound the buzzer. How exactly neighborhoods are chosen for an outage and the timing of it is “proprietary information,” according to Oncor.Ĭity councils have publicly asked tough questions of Oncor’s reps, at times questioning the logic of the utility company’s defense. On social media, people complained about the Dallas and Fort Worth skylines, and TCU’s campus, being lit up like Las Vegas.
ENCORE ENERGY POWER OUTAGE FULL
Anyone following along since February has already heard the explanation that leaving the state’s overtaxed electrical grid going full steam during the storm would have caused a complete blackout, something that would have taken weeks or months to repair.īut cities have faced backlash from residents who were angry about announcements of “rolling” blackouts only to go without power for days while their neighbors did not suffer the same fate. Oncor has reiterated that it is just the deliverer of electricity, not the seller. Meanwhile, Oncor representatives have been making the rounds at area city council meetings, giving their “we had to drop a load” speech because they were told to by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), an entity that operates the electric grid and manages the deregulated market for 75% of Texas. In a resolution, Fort Worth City Council called Oncor’s rate increase “unreasonable.” When contacted to elaborate, the city stated in an email that it had no official response at this time. Oncor annually files for a so-called Distribution Cost Recovery Factor (DCRF) to cover costs.Ĭity-hired attorneys and consultants are on standby and ready to work to block the utility company’s rate increase, if needed. House Committee on Oversight and Reform and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee.Īcross North Texas, various city councils, including Fort Worth’s, have ceremoniously rejected Oncor’s rate hike request, as they typically do every year. The debacle was described as the worst power outage in Texas history, an event that has drawn scrutiny from the U.S.
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