In Pennsylvania, PJM Interconnection, the grid operator for 51 million people in 13 states and the District of Columbia, set an unofficial record for peak electricity use of 139,746 megawatts July 17.
In Chicago, customer demand reached a new all-time record peak the same day utility ComEd reported, unofficially reaching about 23,000 megawatts (MW) between 4 and 5 p.m., surpassing the utility's previous peak of 22,054 MW recorded on Aug. 21, 2003.
Meanwhile, the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc. (Midwest ISO) set a new record for peak electricity demand.
As of 2:59 p.m. July 17, demand within the Midwest ISO's reliability footprint reached 131,527 megawatts (MWs), breaking the record of 131,434 MWs set on August 3, 2005. The number is expected to grow as the demand is finalized because peak electricity use is typically recorded at around 5 p.m. daily.
PJM, along with several eastern electric companies, issued a request for prudent use of electricity today in anticipation of the increased demand. Weather forecasters were expecting temperatures to reach upper 90s to 100-plus degrees in many areas of PJM's region, prompting the increased use of air conditioning.
The Alliance to Save Energy is urging businesses to ensure that office equipment has the “sleep” mode enabled to reduce energy consumption after office hours.
