Your Choice Do You Want To Turn On The LightsFolk"s It;s Coal Power or No Power !
Idaho Power sets winter demand record
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Jan 29 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Matt Christensen The Times-News, Twin Falls, Idaho
Idaho energy users set winter record for demand this month when customers used 2,461 megawatts of electricity at 8 a.m. last Wednesday, according to Idaho Power Co.
Usage that day barely beat the previous record of 2,459 megawatts on Dec. 21, 1998, another day of regional below-average temperatures.
One megawatt is enough electricity to power about 650 homes, but it's taking more megawatts to heat more of those houses as Idaho's population soars and the average home becomes larger.
"You have a lot more people here than you did in 1998 -- and all the more accoutrement than in 1998," said Dennis Lopez, a spokesman for the company.
Idaho Power doesn't keep statistics on the sizes of homes it services, Lopez said, but conventional wisdom says they're getting larger.
The company is also seeing more dramatic spikes on high-demand days than normal -- sometimes peak loads double the typical demand.
"We need resources to meet those peaks and flatten them," Lopez said.
High demands on hot days this summer nearly resulted in rolling blackouts in Wood River Valley. Winter demands, especially on cold days, can also stress the grid.
Idaho Power uses three natural gas-fired generating plants that are brought online when electricity demand increases.
The company encourages customers follow its conservation guidelines to reduce demand during peak periods: www.idahopower.com.