APS customers broke power demand record Saturday when Phoenix hit 118 degrees
Jul 17, 2023, 12:00 PM
(Facebook Photo/APS)
(Facebook Photo/APS)
PHOENIX — Saturday was the hottest day of the year in Phoenix at 118 degrees and as a result, Arizona Public Service customers broke a power demand record.
The utility’s customers used 8,191 megawatts (MW) on Saturday, the peak for the most electricity used at once in APS history.
The record was actually set in consecutive days, with Friday seeing 7,798 MW of energy used. Friday’s high was 116 degrees.
Previously, the APS power demand record was set on July 30, 2020, with 7,660 MW used. The temperature reached 118 degrees that day.
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Sunday, which topped out at 114 degrees, saw a higher total used than Friday at 7,962 MW but fell short of Saturday’s record.
APS said demand is higher now than previously in part because more people and businesses are in the state.
“On days when the temperature is sweltering, we take an all-of-the-above approach,” APS Vice President of Resource Management Justin Joiner said in a press release.
“We’re using all the tools in our toolbox — from solar power to natural gas — to make sure customers can count on us for electricity every second of the day.”
Phoenix is in the midst of an excessive heat warning that started July 1 and is slated to run through Friday. The warning has been extended multiple times since it was first issued.
Arizona’s capital city is expected to tie its record with an 18th consecutive day reaching at least 110 degrees on Monday.
The current hot streak, which is based on daily high temperatures recorded at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, started June 30. The 18-day record dates back to June 1974.
