Would be nice to know the sources of the electricity, how much is renewable etc. so that the carbon footprint can be determined. Would also be nice to see historical data for comparison. Suggest to check the ISO Today App for the California ISO grid to get some good ideas.
I got a notification of a “ERCOT Emergency Notification Test” so I tried to open the app and it crashes and closes. Then I updated the app and same happens. Rebooted iPad and iPhone. App opens and crashes. I got a notification “End of ERECOT Emergecy Notification Test” and the app still fails to open. Just crashes. So much for the help ERCOT, given my power was out for days in February 2021 it would be essential that you create a working app to notify people when you roll the power out for several days. App opens and crashes. Not helpful.
This is more of a review of ERCOT as an entity: they are complicit in the deaths of everyone e who froze to death during the 2021 snow storm, and the future deaths of everyone who dies from overheating since they KNOW the grid is faulty and have done literally nothing to maintain it. The excuse given in 2021 was “oh we weren’t prepared for temps that cold”, but it’s not like summer in Texas is a big secret thing no one could anticipate coming. I’d say do better, but I imagine it’s hard to generate a soul in wealthy entitled board members who will never have to suffer in the conditions they’ve created for millions. ERCOT is garbage.
For the simple use case of checking the supply and demand graph, this works great. Easier to get to as an app rather than a browser tab. I have not experienced any notifications from this app.
Federal regulations would require weatherproofing gas lines, but Texas has their own power grid to avoid federal regulations. With power sources frozen, Texans get to experience hours of power outages during a record low temperatures. Other states don’t shutdown power when it’s cold out, but Texas is too arrogant and wants to keep doing its own thing Do Texans really want to freeze to death to “Own the Libs”? I hope not. As for the app, I agree there should be more gridlines on the axis for time on the chart
So this is what ERCOT does with its time, is it? Creating a silly, worthless app so they can pretend they aren’t sitting around picking their noses. My local utility, CoServ, is equally clueless. Sending an email to all its customers, recommending they download this stupid app. It’s a miracle Texas made it through February. I guess that’s what’s to be expected though. The governor blaming windmills for the loss of power, like a modern day Don Quixote. Ted Cruz heading for Cancun while his Texas brethren are freezing to death. Yup. That’s Texass alright.
Please please please either increase the font in your app or allow settings to be adjusted. I am not old yet and I can barely see what’s in your app notifications. There is no way to zoom in or increase the font. I can only imagine how frustrated older folks are with this app. I basically don’t even open it and wait for a push notification because at least I can read that.
Updated within the last couple days. Didn’t think much about it. Received “emergency notification test” just now. App crashed and didn’t open when I tapped the notification. Unable to open app at all. What a mess.
These “rolling” black outs sure did fix everything. Fixed it so good that I no longer have to worry about my power bill! I’m going off the grid after this dumb fiasco. Sitting here in a house that’s at 20 degrees, and absolutely no water because they can’t even turn on power long enough for the water pumps to work.
How can you’ve a chart on your home page with no numbers on vertical axis? Such a poor design. It would be great to see more info such as comparison with last week or last year so that one can see the trend ..
With millions of people without power, there is no possible way that the demand for power is below capacity. The fact the app reports demand always being lower than current capacity is laughable. However the app does not crash and is easy to navigate. Please fix the data problems!
Need to have axis labels on the chart. Be nice if you could see real time what is producing the power broken down by nuclear, natural gas, coal, wind, solar. And see the tends of the historical data. As it the app stands right now it’s functional but nothing special.
There’s no reason at all that the Wrcot app should be able to copy data from the messages app... but every time I switch back to the app I get an alert “ERCOT Mobile App pasted from messages”. Big privacy issue there.
Includes too much irrelevant data. I only care about my loadzone, not all of them. I only need to see prices for one. Why does the app show all? Who is this built for that this is helpful? Waste of time.
This governing entity has been so inept that people across Texas frequently go without power in the name of saving a dime not ensuring our grid is up to date and able to handle the extremes of the state.
Totally unprepared for a forecasted historic week for all of Texas. Going through rolling blackouts and many friends across the state are going through 35-52° ambient temps in their homes because of no power. But at least we get this outdated app.
Clean and concise info, easy to understand system conditions, decent ( if somewhat generic) conservation advice. Needed Tweaks: 1. Change the color or linetype of the forecast peak - the solid bright blue line almost completely obscures the pale green color of the current system load line, making it very hard to tell at a glance what current load is. +1star if done. 2. Offer historic views beyond 1day, perhaps the past 30 days history and forecast conditions for the next 30 days; as another reviewer said, information is good and keeps the consumer aware of what to expect. +1/2 star if done. 3. Give at least two "push notification" options, with one of those options being a "critical" alert as opposed to warning or informational alerts. If the grid is in danger of (or going into) rolling blackout conditions, that's critical. If you just want to tell folks to "conserve because continued high heat will make conditions tight", like I got 5 minutes after installing the app, that's more warning - and little I can do about it beyond measures already taken with automated thermostats and such. +1/2 star if done.
Whoever came up with this non-zoomable graph with no time notches except for 12AM should be fired. Can’t believe we are wasting taxpayers’ money on this joke of an app.
Hopefully this achievement by ERCOT will show other ISOs & RTOs the benefits of having mobile apps with system wide alerts. I have a few requests and suggestions, please add nodal pricing points and ultimately a simple DB query function for source and sink of PTPs as you can't mouse over those points on the Web Contour Map. Also, a list of scheduled outages and line work would easily be scraped off your market data website. Or if it's easier list the DA congestion costs built into DA prices. Then finally I see a huge synergy with my firm and the retail ESCOs out there and don't want to give away any proprietary info but I am able to generate revenues for ERCOT by providing customers the available 3rd party providers through my DOE funded efforts!
Received an e-mail from the State of Texas State Operations Center (SOC) at work today with the press release for this app. Downloaded it and am fairly impressed; I like transparency when it comes to utilities and enjoy having situation awareness. This app gives usage and forecast usage, as well as great tips on how to conserve energy (AND save money). I'm looking forward to what types of notifications it will send; according to the press release, when ERCOT forecasts issues with high demand, they will notify app users ... and users can reference their conservation tips. More features could be added if utility companies/cooperatives share their outage data or other pertinent info with ERCOT.
I used v1 of this app, and I can't believe the massive improvement with the new release! This rebuilt app is actually interesting, usable and informative in this latest incarnation. You can't even fairly call it an "update" - more like a complete do-over. Thanks to the team that built this improved version I can actually see what's happening with demand and conditions, wholesale prices, alerts/notices and more, plus it's super easy on the eyes (the old app was, well, ugly). Nice UI! I especially like the graph / gauge home page switch. Thanks ERCOT!
What can I say. Learning about the Texas power grid was never on the top of my list, but seeing how much attention ERCOT has put into designing this app for the public has changed my tune for good. I love the interactive push notifications that allow me to take action on conserving energy as well as see who else has joined the cause. Not to mention the app is absolutely beautiful to look at. Way to go! Highly recommend!
I see the "Normal Conditions" banner at the top. I assume that banner will change to reflect abnormal conditions. Looking forward to seeing the alerts in action.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) offers a free application for Texans in the ERCOT region to monitor Real-Time grid conditions and learn ways to save energy. What's available: • Current electric demand and operating reserves • Real-Time wholesale power prices • News releases and other important notifications • ERCOT overview
