ERCOT Grid Alerts Explained: Weather Watch to EEA 3

By the TexasPowerCost Editorial Team — independent Texas electricity analysis · Last reviewed October 18, 2026 · how we analyze plans

Last updated: October 3, 2026  ·  9 min read

ERCOT, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, runs the grid for about 90% of the state and issues a ladder of notices as supply tightens. Most never go past a request to conserve. This guide explains each rung, what you are being asked to do, and who actually restores your power.

What are the ERCOT alert levels, in order?

There are six, and they escalate on one number: operating reserves, the spare generation ERCOT can call on within minutes. The first three are notices and requests; the three Energy Emergency Alert levels are declared when reserves fall below published thresholds. The table uses ERCOT's criteria as published in December 2025.

Source: ERCOT, "Grid Conditions Notifications" (December 2025) and the TXANS page. ERCOT revises these thresholds from time to time; older explainers still circulate with the pre-2024 figures of 2,300, 1,750 and 1,000 MW.

What does an ERCOT Weather Watch mean — do I need to do anything?

No. A Weather Watch is a forecast notice, issued roughly three to five days before heat or cold is expected to raise demand, and ERCOT says grid conditions are normal when it goes out. Treat it the way you treat a weather forecast: a reason to check the thermostat schedule and your outage kit, not an emergency.

Watches are common in a Texas summer and increasingly common in winter, and most end without a conservation request of any kind. What a Watch does tell you is that ERCOT expects a tight week, which is the right moment to shift anything movable — a pool-pump cleaning, an EV charge, a big laundry day — to the days before the heat or cold arrives.

What should I actually do during a conservation appeal?

Reduce electricity use during the window ERCOT names, if it is safe for your household. The actions that matter are the big loads: air conditioning or electric heat, the pool pump, EV charging, the dryer and the oven. Lights and phone chargers are rounding errors; the thermostat is not.

1. Raise or lower the thermostat a few degrees for the window

In summer set it to 78°F or higher; in winter set it lower, around 68°F or less. Air conditioning and electric heat are the largest loads in a Texas home, so this one change does most of the work.

2. Move the big appliances out of the peak

Delay the dishwasher, washer, dryer, pool pump and electric-vehicle charging until the appeal window ends. Each runs just as well two hours later.

3. Skip the oven and the big electronics

Cook on the stovetop or microwave, and turn off TVs, gaming consoles and computers you are not using. Small individually, they add up across millions of homes.

4. Know who to call if the lights go out

Save your transmission and distribution utility's outage number now — Oncor, CenterPoint, AEP Texas or TNMP — because the retail provider on your bill cannot restore power.

5. Subscribe to TXANS so the next notice reaches you first

Join the ERCOT email list or install the ERCOT app. Notices usually arrive days before any emergency, which is when preparation is cheapest.

To put dollars on it: a pool pump drawing 1,500 W moved two hours out of the window avoids 3 kWh, about 45¢ at a 15.0¢/kWh energy rate (your EFL rate varies). The money is small; the grid effect is what ERCOT is after. Our guides on pool pump running costs and winter thermostat settings show what each load costs you per hour, which is the same number that tells you what cutting it is worth.

What do EEA Level 1, 2 and 3 mean for my home?

An Energy Emergency Alert means ERCOT has run short of its normal reserve cushion and is using emergency tools. At EEA 1 it brings in every available resource; at EEA 2 it curtails contracted large customers; at EEA 3 it may order controlled outages so demand cannot drag grid frequency down into a far larger uncontrolled blackout.

For a household, EEA 1 and EEA 2 change nothing except urgency: keep conserving, charge phones and power banks, and know where your flashlights are. EEA 3 is when the lights can go out on a rotation. ERCOT does not choose your neighborhood — the next section explains who does. Since 2021 ERCOT has declared EEA 3 rarely, and summer 2026 passed without a single conservation appeal, but the ladder exists because freezes and heat domes can still push reserves down fast.

How do rotating outages work — and why does my neighbor still have power?

In an EEA 3, ERCOT tells each transmission operator how many megawatts to shed; each utility's share follows its percentage of the previous year's system-wide peak. The utility then turns circuits off in rotation. Your neighbor may be on a different circuit, or on one feeding a hospital or water plant that is prioritized.

ERCOT's own description is worth quoting: customers that provide critical public services — hospitals, police and fire stations, critical water and gas facilities, nursing homes — are "generally prioritized during rotating outages but may also be impacted depending on the depth and duration" of the event. Prioritized is not exempt. Rotation length is also a utility decision: ERCOT reports smaller operators tend to target 10–30 minutes per circuit while larger ones may run 60 minutes or more. In February 2021 the shortfall was so deep that rotation broke down and some circuits stayed off for days, which is why preparing for a multi-day outage is still worth an afternoon. (Many people say "rolling blackouts"; the industry term is rotating outages, and ERCOT orders them while your utility carries them out.)

Who do I call when the power goes out?

Your transmission and distribution utility (TDU) — the company that owns the poles, wires and meter — not the retail electric provider (REP) whose name is on your bill. The REP sells you energy and cannot dispatch a crew. Texas has four TDUs serving the competitive market; the one for your address is printed on your bill.

Numbers as listed on each utility's website in October 2026; the outage number is also printed on your bill. A downed line is an emergency: stay well away and call 911 as well as the utility. Not sure which TDU you have? Here is how to find your provider and TDU.

Where do I check ERCOT grid conditions right now, and how do I get TXANS alerts?

ERCOT's website shows current grid conditions, demand and reserves in real time on its homepage dashboards at ercot.com. For notices pushed to you, subscribe to TXANS — the Texas Advisory and Notification System — by joining the ERCOT email list or installing the ERCOT mobile app; both are linked from ercot.com/txans.

Two longer-range tools are also public. ERCOT's Monthly Outlook for Resource Adequacy (MORA), published around the first Friday of each month for the month two months out, estimates the hour-by-hour risk that an Energy Emergency Alert will be needed; the outlook for January 2027 is due in early November 2026 and the one for February in early December. ERCOT retired the older seasonal SARA report in favor of it. The Texas power grid explainer covers how the market and the reserve margin fit together.

Does conserving lower my bill — and does an alert raise my rate?

Conserving lowers your bill only through the kilowatt-hours you avoid; there is no credit for answering an appeal unless you joined a demand-response program. An alert never raises a fixed rate. On variable, holdover and indexed plans the price can move with the market, which our winter-storm bill guide explains by plan type.

One Texas-specific wrinkle: on a bill-credit plan, cutting usage below the credit threshold (often 1,000 kWh) can raise your effective rate even as your kWh fall, because the credit disappears — the 1,000 kWh illusion in miniature. And on a free-nights or time-of-use plan, the appeal window is usually the expensive daytime block anyway, so shifting loads to the free period cuts the bill as well as the grid load. Conserve for the grid; choose the plan for the bill.

Key Takeaways

• ERCOT's ladder has six rungs; as of October 2026 the Energy Emergency Alert triggers are reserves below 2,500 MW (EEA 1), 2,000 MW or frequency under 59.91 Hz for 15 minutes (EEA 2), and 1,500 MW or frequency under 59.8 Hz (EEA 3).
• Only EEA 3 can bring rotating outages: ERCOT sets the megawatts, each utility's share follows its percentage of the prior year's peak, and the utility rotates its own circuits — typically 10–30 minutes for smaller operators and 60 minutes or more for larger ones.
• Report outages to your TDU, never your retail provider: Oncor 888-313-4747, CenterPoint 800-332-7143, AEP Texas 866-223-8508, TNMP 888-866-7456.
• A Weather Watch arrives about 3–5 days early and requires nothing; a fixed-rate plan's price never changes because of an alert.

Common Questions

What does an ERCOT Weather Watch mean?

A Weather Watch is ERCOT's earliest notice, issued roughly three to five days ahead of forecast weather that is expected to push electricity demand higher. Grid conditions are still normal when it is issued; it is a heads-up that reserves may run lower than usual, not a request to conserve and not a sign that outages are coming. Nothing is asked of you beyond paying attention to later notices.

What does EEA Level 2 mean?

Energy Emergency Alert Level 2 is the second of three emergency levels. ERCOT declares it when operating reserves drop below 2,000 megawatts and are not expected to recover within 30 minutes, or when grid frequency falls below 59.91 hertz for 15 minutes, per ERCOT's published notification criteria as of October 2026. At EEA 2 ERCOT uses emergency tools such as calling on contracted demand response; rotating outages are not ordered until EEA 3.

What should I do during an ERCOT conservation appeal?

Cut what you can safely cut during the stated window, usually the late-afternoon peak in summer and the early-morning or evening peak in winter. Move the thermostat two or three degrees toward the outdoor temperature, delay the dishwasher, laundry, pool pump and EV charging until the window ends, skip the oven, and turn off lights and electronics you are not using. These are requests, not orders, and they only lower your bill through the kilowatt-hours you avoid.

How long do rotating outages last in Texas?

It depends on your utility. ERCOT reports that smaller transmission operators tend to target shorter rotations of roughly 10 to 30 minutes, while larger operators may run 60 minutes or more per circuit, and the depth of the emergency can stretch either. In February 2021 some outages lasted far longer because the shortfall exceeded what rotation could manage. Your transmission and distribution utility, not your retail provider, decides which circuits go dark and when.

How do I sign up for ERCOT TXANS alerts?

TXANS, the Texas Advisory and Notification System, is ERCOT's free early-notification service. Sign up for the email list at lists.ercot.com (the TXANS subscription form) or download the ERCOT mobile app for iPhone or Android, which pushes the same notices; ERCOT also posts them on its social media accounts. As of October 2026 ERCOT does not list a text-message option on the TXANS page.

Does an ERCOT alert raise my electricity rate?

Not on a fixed-rate plan: your energy rate is locked for the term, and an alert changes only how much you use. On a variable or month-to-month holdover plan the provider can change the price at the next billing cycle under the terms of your EFL, and on an indexed plan the price follows the index it is tied to. Scarcity pricing during an emergency can therefore reach customers on those plan types, which is why plan type matters more than the alert itself.

Key Terms

ERCOT · TDU / TDSP · Retail Electric Provider (REP) · Grid Infrastructure Terms · Weather & Usage Terms · Fixed-Rate Plan · Full Glossary →

Keep Reading

Texas weather and your electricity bill covers the seasons that produce these alerts, backup power for Texas outages compares generators and batteries for the EEA 3 case, and the Texas winter electricity checklist puts TXANS and the outage numbers into a month-by-month plan.