Running air conditioners, fans and any other appliances to keep cool will be driving up power bills in the coming days and could lead to a new summer peak power usage record for SaskPower.
During the first wave of heat last week, Saskatchewan came extremely close to the summer peak record. On July 11, SaskPower registered a peak of 3,655 Megawatts. It was just shy of the 3,669 Megawatt record that was set on July 31, 2023.
SaskPower spokesperson Joel Cherry said he would not be surprised if we get close to the record again in the coming days with this second heatwave.
“With the temperatures warming up here in the next couple of days, there is the potential we could be up close to that record range again. If we do hit a new summer peak record, we’ll send out a news release and make sure people know about it,” Cherry said.
The all-time record for peak power use was set in the winter three years ago.
“Our all-time peak record is 3,910 Megawatts. That was set in December, 2021. We tend to have high peaks in the winter,” Cherry said.
You can learn more about how to conserve power during these extreme heat conditions here. You can also find other tips and tricks on the SaskPower website.