The recent string of hot and humid days pushed up consumer demand for electricity.
As temperatures soared to 98 degrees and the heat index reached 114 this weekend, many people flipped on the AC.
According to ISO New England, the corporation responsible for keeping electricity flowing across the six-state region, peak demand for power happened at 4 p.m. Friday. Customers used 25,466 megawatts of power. An ISO spokesperson says average use on a normal summer day ranges between 17,500 and 22,000 megawatts. The spokesperson said their total capacity is 31,000 megawatts.
Energy consumption is higher on weekdays, when more businesses and industries are operating.
Wallingford Municipal Power reports their peak load Friday was just 11 percent lower than their all-time peak usage at 127 megawatts.
According to ISO, summer peak demand is rising at almost 200 megawatts per year. That’s equivalent to about half the output of a medium-sized power plant, they say.
United Illuminating said these common sense measures not only reduce pressure on the power grid but can also save you money:
- Delay using major appliances such as pool pumps, washing machines, dryers and dishwashers until after 8 p.m.
- Turn off ceiling fans when you’re not in the room
- Close curtains or shades to keep the sunlight from warming up a room.
An Eversource spokesperson said energy usage has been consistently high, but there have been no interruptions due to the heat and that all outages have been storm-related.
