ODESSA, Texas — Electric Reliability Council of Texas monitors how much energy you have and how much you need based off a five-color alert system.
These color categories show which actions need to be taken.
The green color means the grid is operating under normal conditions and no action needs to be taken. You can continue to use your electricity as you normally would.
When it gets into the yellow it is requested that you conserve your energy, but no one's power is being switched off.
The best time to conserve electricity is between the peak hours of 5-7 p.m.
Once the monitor hits orange we are now in the energy emergency alert level one. This is when backups are activated, and the emergency operations have begun. All power supplies are then used, and it is recommended to conserve energy.
When it gets into the red, some users power can be switched off, like large consumers. This is energy emergency level two.
If you have medical needs at the moment, it is a great time to start creating a plan. Register with local utility companies.
Black is energy emergency level three and rolling blackouts start. This is the highest level of emergency operations. Local electric utility companies have been instructed to begin controlled outages and energy conservation is now very critical.