Wednesday's scorcher was a record setter on more than one front in Red Deer.
A new daily high was added to the record books when the temperature topped out at 34.3 C, beating the 118-year-old record of 33.9 C set in 1906. In central Alberta, new records were also set in Lacombe (34.9), Rocky Mountain House (35 C), Nordegg (32.7 C) and Sundre (33.9 C).
Beating the heat also led to a new electricity consumption record in the city. The 149.75 MVA (mega-volt amps) of power used beat the previous mark of 146.76 MVA set in 2013, said city senior utilities superintendent Dean Walker on Friday. Mega-volt amps are basically equivalent to a megawatt,or 1,000 kilowatts.
Furiously working air conditioners and city population growth were the biggest factor behind the spike. Red Deer's population in 2013 was about 97,000, compared with just over 109,000 in the last count.
Despite reaching a new high, there were no concerns at Red Deer's Electric Light and Power department.
"We still had lots of capacity on our end," said Walker.
The city monitors Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) closely to ensure the provincial power supply is keeping up with demand. Red Deer residents have been advised to conserve electricity where they can occasionally when the provincial grid is nearing capacity.
AESO said Alberta set a new electricity consumption record on Wednesday with 12,122 MW (megawatts) of demand. The previous record only lasted a day, with 11,721 MW recorded on Tuesday.
On Monday, AESO issued a Grid Alert at 8:25 p.m. but lifted it again a little over an hour later at 9:34 p.m.
AESO continues to recommend that Albertans conserve electricity during the peak 5-9:30 p.m. period.
Some of its power saving tips are:
• Turn off unnecessary lights and electrical appliances
• Minimize the use of air conditioning/space heaters
• Delay the use of major power-consuming appliances such as washers, dryers and dishwashers until after peak hours
• Use cold water for washing clothes—most of the energy used goes to heating the water (only running full loads helps too)
• Delay charging electric vehicles
• Cook with your microwave, crockpot or toaster oven instead of the stove
• Limit the use of kitchen or bathroom ventilation fans
•Use motion-detector lights in storage areas, garages, and outdoors when possible
• Work on a laptop instead of a desktop computer (laptops are more energy-efficient than desktop units)
