Heat wave causes record electricity demand and brownouts in New York City
NEW YORK, July 22 (Reuters) – Power company Consolidated Edison (ED.N) said its peak electric use hit an all-time high on Friday as a brutal heat wave enveloped New York City. Con Edison said late on Friday that its overall electric use peaked at 13,189 megawatts at 4 p.m. That eclipsed an all-time record of 13,141 megawatts set in August 2006 — before the economic recession weakened demand. Con Edison said its crews were working to restore service to customers impacted by scattered power outages. As of 7 p.m., the company had restored electric service to over 16,500 out of 24,000 customers affected since the heat wave began on Thursday, it said. Residents of the U.S. east coast sought refuge on Friday from sweltering temperatures, flocking to beaches, pools and air-conditioned malls as the mercury climbed into the triple-digits along the U.S. Eastern seaboard.
Heat wave sends Con Ed electric use to new high
By Scott DiSavino; Editing by John Picinich and Lisa Shumaker
22 July 2011 NEW YPORK (Reuters) – A brutal heatwave caused brownouts as homes and businesses in New York City and Westchester County crank up their air conditioners and could push power usage to a new all-time record on Friday, said power provider Consolidated Edison. Power companies across the Northeast, including Con Edison, said they had enough electricity to meet the demand, but warned heavy usage could stress some power lines and generating facilities, which could leave some customers in the dark temporarily. Con Edison reduced the voltage, a so-called brownout, due to equipment failures in several neighborhoods in Queens and Brooklyn Friday afternoon, affecting more than 121,000 customers. That comes after crews fixed equipment problems this morning that had forced the power company to impose brownouts in several neighborhoods in Westchester and Queens overnight. Those voltage reductions affected about 139,000 customers. […] The U.S. National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning until 10 p.m. EDT (0200 GMT) for the New York City area. Temperatures in New York will reach 99 Fahrenheit (37 Celsius) on Friday with the humidity making it feel more like 112 F, according to weather forecaster AccuWeather.com. […]
