Summer Power Record Set

The heat wave to hit BC this week has had residents seeking relief by using air conditioners and fans.

A new summer power consumption record was set Monday between 5 and 6 pm, when BC Hydro’s Dag Sharman says peak hourly demand was 7,851 megawatts.

“That broke the summer record which was previously set on Aug. 11, 2014 and was 7,468 megawatts, so we broke it by 400 megawatts which is pretty significant,” Sharman tells Kiss FM.

Sharman says temperatures will remain hot the next few days, likely meaning high consumption rates.

“Our website has a lot of tips you can use to conserve power, but our system is perfectly capable of providing that capacity to our customers. It’s not an issue. It’s just a matter of interest, and maybe a motivators for people to conserve a little bit.”

Sharman say BC’s all time power consumption record was set on January 3 this year, when over 10, 126 megawatts were consumed in one hour.

“BC  has a higher peak demand in the winter time when the days are shorter, so it’s darker for longer, and it’s cold.”