Heat Wave Brings Fan/AC Increase

The hot weather in BC has residents turning up their air conditioners or fans to keep cool.

BC Hydro says that’s led to a significant increase in electricity use.

On Thursday, Hydro recorded the highest peak hourly demand of the summer — 7,225 megawatts — an increase of nearly 10 per cent over the previous Thursday.

However, the power use is not nearly as high as what’s seen in the winter, when people crank up the heat.

” The highest hourly peak demand was recorded on Jan. 3, 2017, when consumption reached 10,126 megawatts between 5 and 6 p.m,” says a Hydro release. “This is in contrast to utilities in California and Ontario, where the highest peaks are experienced in the summer months due to the widespread use of air conditioning.”