Power usage stays low despite the scorching summer, Enmax says
It may go down as Calgary’s hottest summer, but the city’s chief energy provider says electricity usage has been significantly lower than average.
Even though the city endured seven days of 30C-plus temperatures in July, city-owned utility Enmax reported the average peak load last month only reached 1,160 megawatts, well shy of the monthly average of 1,583 MW recorded over the past seven years.
The utility hit its peak consumption record for the year July 27 at 4 p.m., reaching 1,626 MW, which came close to but didn’t eclipse Enmax’s all-time record of 1,678 MW set July 2, 2013.
So far in August, the numbers are even lower, with peak load averaging 1,094 MW.
Enmax spokeswoman Gina Sutherland said even in the summer heat, electricity loads tend to drop significantly at night, by as much as 800 MW, which has helped keep the demand lower.
Also helping meet power demands was the 2015 opening of the Shepard Energy Centre, which has added another 850 MW of natural gas power into the city’s supply.
“It was definitely a hot July but not a record breaker,” Sutherland said.
“More generation has certainly helped and we certainly haven’t had to do any rolling power outages, so that’s helped as well.”
Peak energy usage in the summer months usually occurs when the weather is extremely hot for several days, and Mondays in particular see higher energy consumption with office buildings that shut down over the weekend turning on air conditioning units, Sutherland said.
Despite the peak power usage remaining well below average, Sutherland said Enmax still suggests Calgarians be judicious about their energy usage, particularly during times when the system is being taxed more than usual.
“There are lots of things people can do in their homes to save energy,” said Sutherland, noting monitoring air conditioning usage, checking air filters and providing window shades can all reduce the need to use more energy.
“But we’re not reaching peak demands and that’s a good thing.”