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EREC Sees Highest Power Demand Ever Due To Christmas Eve Cold
December 25, 2022
A bitterly cold Christmas Eve morning prompted the highest-ever energy usage by Escambia River Electric Cooperative customers.
With single-digit wind chills and lows in the teens, EREC’s whole power supplier, PowerSouth, reached a higher winter peak than any other time in its history.
PowerSouth set a new all-time peak demand of 2,675 megawatts, exceeding the previous record set in 2018 of 2,458 megawatts by 10%. Peak usage remained above 2,600 megawatts for three straight hours. EREC experienced a few outages on Christmas Eve, but the cooperative said none were related to the cold weather.
“This weekend’s cold snap put a strain on several utilities across the southeast,” said Ryan Campbell, CEO for EREC. “Cold weather increases demand as people turn up the heat, especially overnight and in the morning during freezing temperatures, combined with the regular use of other large appliances. Fortunately, we were able to meet the historic demand in our area.”
During this cold snap, EREC is encouraging members to keep costs low and keep flowing reliably to everyone this Christmas season by following these steps.
- Lower thermostats by just one or two degrees to keep your home comfortable while saving energy.
- Turn off lights, devices and electronics that are not in use.
- Delay household chores like laundry or washing dishes, especially during peak times when it is very cold, if possible.
“Anything our members can do to help lower energy use helps our entire community as we continue to bring dependable power to you,” said Campbell.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Comments
2 Responses to “EREC Sees Highest Power Demand Ever Due To Christmas Eve Cold”
We don’t have EREC, we are stuck with FPL. Luckily, we just burn the fireplace when needed and have a very small electric space heater for the dog/family room we turn on at night if needed at the other end of the house and we have yet to turn on the central heat. Loving this cold weather.
Their are more people moving into the area and building new homes. I remember rarely ever hearing a siren from police or ambulance in my community and now it sounds like Pensacola with all the extra traffic and noise. I am sure that I liked it better before. Merry Christmas everybody!