ERCOT expects enough power for summer, but residents might look to lock in electricity rates

Summer is already starting to set in around Texas, where temperatures have already topped 100 degrees in cities across the state. However, The Associated Press reports that the state might at least be able to avoid any rolling blackouts when the summer heat hits the state full on.

Texans have reason to be concerned after a record-setting summer last year, but the CEO of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, Trip Doggett, told legislators that the state should be able to get through the summer with only its current generating capacity.

The news for residents is not all good, however, since the state is expected to use nearly all of its reserve generating capacity. On its own that already means that electricity rates could be on the rise, but ERCOT also plan to implement a pricing policy that will raise the wholesale electricity price that electricity companies pay.

With most of Texas having implemented electricity deregulation a decade ago, however, residents should have the opportunity to lock in a lower electricity rate before the summer hits, which could mean dramatic savings on electricity bills.