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Code yellow days call for greater energy conservation 
11:35 AM CDT on Saturday, August 12, 2006
Robin Levin admits she’s warm blooded. So it’s no surprise she was sweating last night. "When that tree fell on our backyard last night, of course we lost power for about an hour and a half," said Levin.
Today though, she was able to get back into her element, putting her thermostat as law as it could go. "We keep our air conditioning low because I'll sweat my brains out," said Levin.
The state’s Public Utilities Commission and Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, say too many people may be doing the same thing, and putting a major strain on the state’s electric grid.
So the PUC started a program that color codes days into green or yellow. On green days, it doesn’t expect excessive energy usage, so there’s no need for extra conservation. Yellow days are the exact opposite, conserve energy as much as possible.
PUC reps say the reason we’re just now seeing this, despite nearly thirty 100 degree days, is because the program wasn’t created until after April’s power outages. Color coding started just this week.
Robin Levin says she can’t help her warm disposition, but she’s willing to do her part. "Uhhh, I'll have to get a fan, but I believe in conserving what we have," said Levin.
E-mail bgreene@wfaa.com




