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CPS Energy and Hill Country area electric cooperatives have been prepping all week for an arctic winter blast packing gusty winds and frozen precipitation that could down power lines.
Resulting power outages could leave their customers shivering in the dark.
San Antonio's city-owned utility CPS Energy reports it's ready to keep its customers lights and heaters on this extremely cold weekend.
"We are making sure that all of our inventory has been checked. Our facilities have been weatherized, you know, for heating. And we're really confident we are going to be ready for the upcoming tough weather we see this coming week," said CPS Energy spokeswoman Milady Nazir.
According to Nazir, residents should report any downed power lines caused by gusty winds or heavy ice directly to the utility.
Customers should also not attempt to cut limbs away from power lines themselves to avoid injury or death. She said CPS Energy annually has crews that trim limbs away from power lines to help reduce outages.
Nazir said CPS Energy customers can check to see if a weather outage has been in their area at cpsenergy.com. She also said winter safety tips can be found at the same website.
CPS Energy has nearly one-million electric customers.
Meanwhile, power providers across the Hill Country, like the Johnson City-based Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PEC) and the Bandera Electric Cooperative (BEC) in Bandera, have also been checking their inventories and preparing personnel for what could be a busy weekend of frozen precipitation.
The PEC service area includes counties in the northernmost sections of the Hill County, while the BEC service area is in the southern Hill Country, including Bandera, Kendall, Kerr, Medina and Real Counties.
John Padalino, the CEO of the Bandera Electric Cooperative, said its crews are trained to make repairs to power lines in "off road" conditions if they must.
"We are the very hilly, hilly part of the Hill Country, and so, especially going out to Leakey, Texas, we have, you know, close to thousand-foot canyons and so very steep and rugged terrain," he said.
Many of the problems faced by power providers, big and small, are the same this frigid weekend. Gusty winds or heavy ice on power lines could knock them down.
And Padalino said the increased demand for power to stay warm creates problems of its own.
"That increases the load on the system, as far as people using electricity and that really stresses out all of their equipment," he said.
South Texans and Hill Country residents can help reduce electric demand this weekend by dressing in layers even while indoors and turn thermostats down.
Fireplaces are another source of supplemental heat should your home have one — but follow safety rules closely.
