Electric Utilities Weather the Heat, Urge Wise Use

August 9, 2007

With a heat wave blanketing much of the nation, electric companies are working overtime to keep the lights on and air conditioners humming as new records for electricity demand are set. Many companies have implemented system voltage reductions or have called for conservation as a means to keep pace with surging electricity demand.

Among the electricity providers calling for greater conservation this week was PJM Interconnection, the electric grid operator for more than 51 million people in 13 states and the District of Columbia. On August 8, PJM ordered a 5-percent voltage reduction in its Mid-Atlantic region to meet an extremely high demand for electricity. 

Atlanta-based Southern Company, meanwhile, set a new system record for electricity use on August 7, when preliminary peak demand for electricity averaged about 39,215 megawatts between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. This record is 179 megawatts higher than the previous peak record of 39,036, which was set a day earlier on August 6. The latest record is 980 megawatts higher than the previous peak record set August 10, 2006.

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