How hot was it today?
Hot enough for Consumers Energy to smash its all-time record for electricity demand.
As temperatures soared over 100 degrees in the late afternoon, Consumers Energy saw demand for electricity rise above nine thousand megawatts for the first time in the utility’s 125 year history.
CMS customer demand hit a peak of 9,086 megawatts between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. today. That level surpassed Consumers Energy’s previous all-time record of 8,930 megawatts set on July 21, 2011.
“This customer demand for power is obviously linked to air conditioning use. People trying to escape…looking for relief from this heat and humidity,” says Jeff Holyfield, a Consumers Energy spokesman, “And it also reflects the fact that Michigan’s economy is strengthening.”
DTE didn’t set an all-time record today. But the southeast Michigan utility did record its highest electricity demand for the year.
