El Paso Electric says scheduled power outages are a possibility
El Paso Electric is preparing for the possibility of scheduled power outages during the hot summer days in order to maintain the stability of the local electrical grid.
“In a typical summer we usually have high energy consumption or high usage. We’re asking our customers to conserve energy,” Eddie Gutierrez with El Paso Electric said. “There are currently no plans right now to interrupt service. But we want to prepare in the event there is an emergency.”
If the outages are necessary, they will occur in between 1 p.m. and 6p.m. Scheduled outages should last no more than 45 minutes. Areas with crucial infrastructure like hospitals and jails will not be affected.
El Paso Electric also has a list of customers who rely on electricity for critical home health care needs.
“EPE reached out our region’s emergency coordinators to ask for its assistance in setting up heat relief centers should they be needed,” Mary Kipp, El Paso Electric CEO, said.
El Pasoans affected by any scheduled power outages will be able to stay cool at the following locations:
Armijo recreation Center, 700 E. 7th St. (Central)
Don Haskins Recreation Center, 7400 High Ridge (West) Galatzan Recreation Center, 650 Wallenberg (West) Marty Robbins Recreation Center, 11620 Vista Del Sol (East) Chalio Aacosta Sports Center, 4321 Delta (Central) Nations Tobin Aquatic Center, 8831 Railroad (Northeast) El Paso County Warehouse, 1331 N. Fabens (Fabens) El Paso County facility, 435 Vinton Rd. (Vinton) El Paso County facility, 14698 Van Ln. (Montana Vista) Ysleta Del Sure Pueblo Recreation and Wellness Center, 11200 Santos Sanchez (Socorro)
As EPE continues to prepare for the extreme weather, here are some things you can do in order to conserve energy at work and in your home.
At work:
Turn off any lights when offices and/or conference rooms are not in use.
Unplug any electronics that are not in use. Unplug chargers from outlets when not in use.
At home:
Avoid using the oven; cook on the stove or use a microwave. Unplug any electronics that will not be in use during the day when the home is not occupied. Ensure that curtains and blinds are closed during the day, regardless of whether the home is occupied or not. This will reduce heat gains by up to 33%. For Refrigerated Air Conditioning, set the programmable thermostat to 78 if the home is occupied; if the home is not occupied for longer than seven hours, set the thermostat to 80. Use fans as much as possible, whether it’s a ceiling fan, floor fan or wall-mounted. Turn off fans when the room is not occupied – fans cool people, not rooms. Unplug any electronics that are not in use. Unplug chargers from outlets when not in use.
