Energy Grid
Why this is rated unknown
The two status-driving indicators could not be established: no current operating reserve margin (national, evening peak) or customers-without-power figure appears on the EIA Hourly Electric Grid Monitor or NERC assessments pages retrieved this run, and the last published reading (14.2% reserve margin, 38,200 customers out, 2026-09-26) is older than the 2-day and 1-day freshness limits. Per the published rules, a missing or stale reading makes the status unknown.
Unknown: Data is missing, delayed, or too stale to assess. Methodology
What is this?
The grid is the system of power plants and wires that brings electricity to homes.
How it's doing: We don't have new enough information to tell.
About this area
The US electric grid is made up of three interconnections run by regional operators. This page tracks demand, reserve margins, fuel prices, and outage alerts. EIA reports that sustained high temperatures kept ERCOT hourly load near record levels through late August 2026, with a weekly average of 74.5 GW for the week ending August 22, and that Henry Hub spot prices averaged $2.93/MMBtu from June through August, 6% below the same period of 2025.
Indicators
Latest readings. Changes are shown without judgment of whether up or down is better.
| Indicator | Latest |
|---|---|
Operating reserve margin (national, evening peak) No current national evening-peak reserve margin was published on the EIA Hourly Electric Grid Monitor or NERC assessments pages retrieved this run; the prior reading of 14.2% is dated 2026-09-26 and is stale under the 2-day freshness rule. Sources: U.S. Energy Information Administration, North American Electric Reliability Corporation | not available |
Customers without power No current national customer outage count was published on the EIA Hourly Electric Grid Monitor or NERC assessments pages retrieved this run; the prior reading of 38,200 is dated 2026-09-26 and is stale under the 1-day freshness rule. Sources: U.S. Energy Information Administration, North American Electric Reliability Corporation | not available |
Peak daily demand (Lower 48) EIA reports ERCOT hourly load averaged a record 74.5 GW for the week ending August 22, 2026, and 73.7 GW for the week ending August 29; the prior six weeks all exceeded the 2023 record of 70.0 GW. A current Lower 48 peak daily demand figure was not available from the pages retrieved. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration | 74.5GW |
Henry Hub natural gas Henry Hub spot price, daily. EIA reports the June–August 2026 average was $2.93/MMBtu, 6% below the same period of 2025. Sources: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED), U.S. Energy Information Administration | 2.9$/MMBtu |
Charts
Timeline of developments
EIA: summer Henry Hub prices 6% below last summer (opens original release)
Henry Hub spot averaged $2.93/MMBtu from June through August 2026, 6% less than the same period of 2025. EIA cites record natural gas production, ample inventories, and higher renewable generation as offsetting factors during a summer whose July Lower 48 average temperature of 77°F was the warmest July on record.
Source: U.S. Energy Information AdministrationEIA: ERCOT weekly average load near record high (opens original release)
Hourly load in ERCOT averaged a record 74.5 GW for the week ending August 22, 2026, and 73.7 GW for the week ending August 29, amid sustained high temperatures. The six weeks from July 25 through August 29 all exceeded the previous 2023 record of 70.0 GW.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration
Sources and citationsWhere this info comes from
- 1.Hourly Electric Grid Monitor
U.S. Energy Information Administration. Accessed Sep 27, 2026.
- 2.Reliability assessments
North American Electric Reliability Corporation. Accessed Sep 27, 2026.
- 3.Henry Hub Natural Gas Spot Price (DHHNGSP)
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED). Accessed Sep 28, 2026.
- 4.Henry Hub natural gas prices this summer were 6% lower than last summer
U.S. Energy Information Administration. Accessed Sep 28, 2026.
- 5.Weekly average load in ERCOT continues near record high
U.S. Energy Information Administration. Accessed Sep 28, 2026.
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