AUSTIN, Texas — A Texas lawmaker says he may introduce legislation next session that would aim to push the start dates of schools later in the year.
On Sunday, State Rep. Jared Patterson (R-Frisco) posted the idea to his social media accounts, saying it's a "common-sense proposal that could put less strain on our power grid and save taxpayer money."
Patterson says the temperature in August is too high to be sending kids to school.
“Everything from, you know, safety and football practice and band practice, to playground equipment for the younger kids,” Patterson said.
Patterson says it’s not just the kids that worry him – it’s also the strain on the state's power grid. With “1,110 new residents daily and an ever-expanding economy," Patterson emphasized the likely need for more schools and buildings in the future.
“Does it really make common sense to be cooling the largest buildings in almost every single community in the state of Texas in the hottest month of the year?" Patterson asked.
Last week, the third week of August, temperatures soared into the triple digits. Patterson says Texas hit a new peak demand for power ever. He says with his 19 years of experience in the energy field, he knows that cooling load is the largest source of energy consumption.
“If we're not cooling down these huge buildings in the hottest month of the year, we're gonna save some cash,” Patterson said.
If schools push back start dates to after Labor Day, he says it could save some money and help the grid as well.
“This is not a silver bullet to ‘fix the grid’,” Patterson said. “This is just one component of common sense in the grand scheme of things.”
However, Doug Lewin, an energy expert and the author of the Texas Energy and Power newsletter, says the bill would not make much of a difference at all.
“There's a lot of people that then would be in their homes, right? That instead of in the school, then that home would be using more power,” Lewin said.
Lewin says growing population size isn't the only factor driving spikes in our energy demand – it's climate itself.
“Climate change is happening. It is science,” Lewin said. “We will see, particularly, more extreme heat. No doubt about that at all.”
Lewin says the Texas grid system is built for a climate that no longer exists, so it must change and adapt. He says starting school later doesn't make sense, but using solar and renewable energy methods could make a difference.
“There’s a big difference between energy conservation and energy efficiency,” Lewin said. “Conservation is shutting off the light, right? Just turning it off, closing a school, right? Efficiency is actually having it operate with the same level of output, but with far less energy."
Patterson says the bill is still in the early stages and more research will have to be done on how much power and money the proposition could save.