POWER DATA REVEALS WHAT THRIVED OR DIVED

The Texas economy is slowly reopening, but some parts are holding up better than others, mostly home improvement stores, hospitals and retail electricity sellers, according to power data analyzed by a Houston company.

Electricity use at hardware stores increased 5 percent in April, compared with a year ago, reflecting the surge of shoppers eager to spruce up their yards and launch home improvement projects while they’re stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic spread, according to Innowatts, a Houston-based company that collects data from 35 million electric meters in nine countries to determine consumer habits.

People have more time to plant gardens, said Innowatts CEO Siddhartha Sachdeva, who has planted his first crop of strawberries this year. He’s also put in a vegetable garden for the first time in about seven years.

“There’s nothing else to do,” he said.

Sachdeva has insight into how our patterns have changed by watching electricity use. He knows, for instance, that barbershops were keeping the lights and air conditioning on in April, but just barely. Electricity use at barbershops was down 75 percent in April, compared with a

year ago, according to Innowatts.

The shops were closed because of rules aimed at thwarting the coronavirus, and owners typically maintained the bare minimum of utilities to prevent mold and other problems, Sachdeva said. Hairdressers still haven’t recovered,

even though Gov. Greg Abbott allowed hair salons to reopen last month at reduced capacity.

Sachdeva speculates that consumers are reluctant to make appointments after reports that employees infected with the coronavirus at one of the big haircutting chains spread the disease to dozens of customers.

Electricity use at hospitals in

Texas increased 1 percent in April, which seems small considering the surge in demand for coronavirus testing and treatment, according to Innowatts. But many hospitals canceled elective surgeries, and people were afraid to go to hospitals for noncoronavirus ailments, keeping overall electricity use modest.

Residential power use also is changing as more people work

from home and are avoiding unnecessary social contact. Electricity use during the mornings is down by 18 percent, reflecting the fewer number of people rising early to prepare to go to work.

Afternoon electricity use, however, is up 21 percent because people have shifted many of the things they did at night, such as running the dishwasher and washing clothes, to the daytime.

Overall, residential electricity consumption is higher than it used to be, said Sachdeva, which means that retail electric providers that cater to residential customers are benefiting from the shift.

Billy Calzada / Staff file photo Hardware stores in Texas have fared better than most businesses during the pandemic, according to a company that analyzes power data, as people did home improvement projects. The stores’ power use rose 5 percent in April, compared with a year ago.

Brett Coomer / Staff file photo Hospitals were among the businesses that have fared well in the pandemic, according to a company that analyzes power data. Texas hospitals’ electricity use was up 1 percent in April.