Electricity demand soared to unprecedented heights Monday afternoon, reaching 11,400 megawatts, according to the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO).
To put that number in perspective, the AESO said the average Alberta household uses about 7.2 megawatt hours per year.
A spokesperson for the organization said despite the surge in demand, there were never concerns about supply.
The record demand came between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. on the first day of what’s forecast to be a week-long cold snap across the province. In Edmonton, temperatures dropped below minus 19 C Monday, and that’s before factoring in the windchill.
“December and January are typically the time of year when Alberta sees the biggest demand on the electricity system and it’s always due to a sustained cold snap, so this cold snap came on pretty quickly but it was the coldest it’s been in quite some time,” Anderson said.
READ MORE: Cold Arctic air brings freezing temperatures to Edmonton
“Last year we had a really mild winter so I’m not sure if people were cranking up their heaters a little bit more than usual. I know I was.”
According to the AESO, the previous record for average demand within a one-hour increment for Alberta was 11,229 megawatts on Jan. 5, 2015.
While the organization said Alberta has a healthy supply of electricity and they “don’t have any concerns with people conserving,” people can always reduce their consumption by reducing their use of appliances, running appliances during off-peak hours and turning off any unnecessary lights.
The AESO is a not-for-profit organization that works with industry partners and the government to ensure reliable power is available to Albertans when they need it.
In its bulletin issued Monday, the Prairie and Arctic Prediction Centre of Canada said extreme cold warnings could be possible throughout the week in Alberta.
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