Hot, muggy dog-days, especially several in a row, may lead to periods of extremely high-or “peak” electricity consumption often related to air conditioning. Not only are customers using more electricity, but the increased demand means that a greater percentage of that electricity will be generated from higher polluting sources, i.e., less renewables and more fossil fuel. When a peak usage day is forecasted, it’s desirable to conserve energy during the peak demand hours, often from 3 to 7pm.
Check out Mass Energy for strategies to conserve energy when it matters most and follow @ShaveThePeak and @belmontlight for alerts about peak usage days.