Drew Elliot, spokesperson with Progress Energy noted a 15 percent increase in their forecasted energy usage.
“Energy usage is certainly up since a few weeks ago,” Elliot said.
Energy use is forecasted using the average amount of energy used on that day and the number of people using the supplier, that amount is than compared to the actual statistics of energy used.
Daily numbers from Progress Energy show an increase in use, attributed to cold temperatures.
On Dec. 4 they used 95.7 percent.
On Sunday, Jan. 3, they used 130 percent of their forecasted energy use.
“It’s a significant difference,” Elliot said, “but it fluctuates daily.”
Pee Dee Electric reported increased demand in the past few days as well. Mark Rhyne, director of engineering and operations at Pee Dee Electric says they have not yet exceeded the peak over last year.
“The primary increase is due to heat pumps and hot water heaters running more often to offset the cold temperatures outside,” Rhyne said.
Pee Dee Electric noted that they plan to see last year’s demand beaten by this year’s cold winter.
Despite the increase, this is not Progress Energy’s highest energy use on record.
That record was set in 2007.
“We’re not even close to that right now,” Elliot said about the figures.
Jane Pritchard, corporate communications director with the North Carolina Electric Cooperative said they have not reached a record high across North Carolina just yet.
“Last year we did hit the all time high,” Pritchard said. “On Jan. 17, we hit 3,172 megawatts.”
As of Tuesday, they were expecting to hit roughly 2,980 megawatts and the number was expected to hold throughout the week.
Pritchard explained that cooperatives around the state should expect no exceptional strain on their power grids this year, despite a record-setting back-to-back cold streak.
“We have greater power resources this year,” Pritchard said. “We’re in good shape.”
“We watch our system growth very carefully in both membership and demand,” Rhyne said.
The increased energy use comes in what Progress Energy calls a, “double hump peak.”
Simply speaking, in the morning people wake up, take hot showers, cook breakfast which causes the numbers to peak. Throughout the day, energy use dips. Than as night draws in, folks crank up the thermostat a few degrees and cook dinner.
This pattern causes the double hump peaks.
The National Weather Service expects to see temperatures stay roughly where they are throughout the week and into next week with lows in the low 20s and high teens.
Staff writer Bryan Stewart can be reached at 997-3111 ext. 15 or by e-mail at bstewart@yourdailyjournal.com.
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