The severe cold weather has caused many people to lose power. Some residents say they have been without electricity since Monday. 

According to their website, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) manages the flow of electric power on the Texas Interconnection that supplies power to more than 26 million Texas customers — representing about 90% of the state's electric load. 

ERCOT CEO Bill Magness says the corporation is hoping temperatures begin to warm up, to help reduce the demand for power. 

ALERT: ERCOT has directed AEP Texas to reduce load on the electrical grid again. Please prepare for more power outages, and for current power outages to continue. AEP Texas crews and employees are ready to begin full restoration of electric service as soon as power is available.

— AEP Texas (@AEPTexas) February 17, 2021

But why did ERCOT decide to order controlled blackouts in the first place? The blackouts were originally planned to last no more than an hour. 

Adrian Calcaneo is an analyst in the energy sector. He says ERCOT ordered power to be shut off in certain areas, to help relieve the pressure put on the power grid. 

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"They basically want to make sure that by controlling damage and dispersing the damage you don't have a bigger affectation of a certain area."

Experts say this could be a sign to look for alternative sources of electricity.

"More renewables are resilient to cold temperatures," Calcaneo said. "That might be a way to go."

But for now, people simply want their power back on.