BC Hydro sees record-breaking electricity demand
Posted January 21, 2022 11:50 am.
According to BC Hydro, the past year saw record-breaking demand during the summer and winter, and that trend is expected to continue. The main cause of that could be people spending more time in their homes.
Omicron’s spread across B.C. has only encouraged people to spend more time behind closed doors.
From extreme heat and cold, to unprecedented rainfall, British Columbia experienced wild and devastating weather in 2021, which broke several electricity demand records. Read our latest report: https://t.co/yZhcm7NAtW #BCStorm pic.twitter.com/wi70uksEiW
— BC Hydro (@bchydro) January 21, 2022
“One of the things that we’ve noticed, especially with people and their electricity habits during COVID … 2021 of course was another year of people working from home,” said Kyle Donaldson with BC Hydro.
He adds the utility is also seeing a gradual increase in electricity use throughout the day. That is likely due to sunsets happening later each day, as we head into the spring. Donaldson says people tend to turn their lights off when it gets dark outside.
The increase may also be due to people cranking up the heat, as we’ve had freezing temperatures and snow in the past month.
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Extreme weather that has been hitting the province likely doesn’t help either. Not only are people less likely to go outside, but they’re also more likely to turn all the lights on and leave the heat on longer during a storm.
“We also experienced 19 of our top 25 all-time summer daily peak records. Over the winter, so far … BC Hydro has experienced 11 of its top 25 all-time peak records,” Donaldson said.
”We set a record — the most amount of customers using the most amount of electricity ever recorded. That was between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 27. The hourly peak reached 10,787 megawatts.”
As 2022 progresses, BC Hydro is expecting to see more of the same. As trends surrounding the pandemic and weather are uncertain, it could be another record year for the utility.
