The local news is reporting that the state .gov has issued a moratorium on disconnecting energy services due to non-payment and that (temporarily) energy companies can't issue bills to customers. The governor also said that people shouldn't have to pay such high energy bills (the mentioned $10k+) when they were without power for a couple days.
Bullshit.
Those customers signed a contract. They were feeling good last year when they were paying less than others, now, when the pendulum swings the other way, they start whining & crying foul to anyone who'll listen. The media's gotten wind of it and are now making a big deal of how the customers got screwed.
Bullshit.
Earlier I'd thought that ERCOT just didn't have the balls to tell the Feds to FO and crank up their plants - damn the pollution, full speed ahead! With that DOE order, it sure seems as if they didn't even have to worry about the Feds. I'm interested in hearing what other excuses their going to come up with.
Since the colds gone for now, I feel safe in saying that we didn't loose water or power this go-through. And no busted pipes. We haven't even had low water pressure like many now have. Guess we went through enough last time, the good Lord took pity on us this time.
Talked with the neighbor across the street this afternoon, they weren't quite as lucky. The second plumber was leaving their place as I got home. They'd had a busted pipe in the house early last week, had a guy out to fix it. Then their supply line froze and broke under the house. They had to wait for it to thaw to find the break. Then neither they or the second plumber could find the shutoff valve, so he had to shut the water off at the street. He'll be back later to trench and bury the new supply line that's running across their front yard. They're on 20 acres, the house is 75/80 yards from the street.