Texas is on the verge of record-breaking power usage.

Since the major freeze that resulted in rolling blackouts in winter of 2021, the operators of the Texas power grid have been seeking ways to optimize their system, while also conserve electricity so as not to tax it. However, the winter isn’t the only period that puts immense strain on the system.

Texas is currently experiencing record-breaking high temperatures. Global climate change has been steadily raising Texas’s temperature over the years, leading to this past winter actually being the hottest the state has ever seen. Naturally, this means powerful heat waves in the summer, and the power grid is struggling to meet the demand for cooling solutions.

Last night, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, sent out a request to all Texans to reduce their power usage today from the hours of 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM. ERCOT has suggested turning up thermostats and delaying the use of major appliances like dryers or vacuum cleaners until after the period has passed. They have also called on the state’s larger consumers of power, such as department stores and large office buildings, to cut down on their energy usage in similar ways.

When power production is lower than usual, ERCOT usually applies various emergency measures in order to avoid rolling blackouts, the first of which being these requests for usage reduction. At its current trajectory, Texas as a whole is expected to use over 79 gigawatts of power by the end of the day today, which would be a record-breaking consumption of power.