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Energy consumption rises with temperature

No records broken in Red Deer, yet
13089036_web1_180810-RDA-M-AGWEEKPHOTO1
Electricity consumption is running high as temperatures soar in Red Deer. (File photo by BLACK PRESS)

As hot as it has been this week, Red Deer has yet set any records for electricity consumption.

“Yesterday at the height we got to about 95 per cent of our maximum ever, which would put it to a very high level for the summer, but nothing that got into record territory for sure,” said Electric Light and Power manager Jim Jorgenson on Friday afternoon.

He said it usually takes a few days of extreme weather to impact local consumption.

Red Deer’s recorded its highest consumption on July 2, 2013.

But across the province, Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO), that manages and operates the provincial power grid, reported it that demand reached a new summer peak on Thursday. Peak winter consumption, set in January 2018, was higher than Thursday’s peak.

Jorgenson said peak demand on Friday won’t be know until after the busiest consumption hours.

“The period of the day generally that is the biggest strain on the system are those hours between around 3 or 4 p.m. until about 6 p.m.”

That’s when people get home and start cooking and doing laundry. On a hot day like today it would always be helpful if people put off using their appliances,

“It’s not to say don’t turn on air conditioning, but don’t do laundry or turn on the oven. Anything we can do to conserve in that height of the day when it’s hot and everyone’s getting home, it really goes a long way to helping.”

Jorgenson said under normal circumstances there is sufficient supply, but if there happens to be mechanical failure or other system problems the provincial system operator will talk to municipalities about reducing load on the provincial system.

“That does happen on occasion and it’s just a normal management thing. If it gets really extreme, which it hasn’t for quite some time, they can start asking for help in shedding load.”

If that happens than the city will advise residents to reduce consumption, but that hasn’t happened this week, he said.



szielinski@reddeeradvocate.com

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