Customer Demand in Heat Wave Ties O&R Record

People pumping up their air conditioners Friday broke a record.

Friday marked the seventh highest “electric demand day” in the history of Orange & Rockland, the utility announced in a release.

Customer demand piqued at 1,558 megawatts Friday, O&R said, which tied with a demand set in July of 2010.

The highest demand in O&R history was in August of 2006. The Top 10 demand days in the company’s history are:

8/2/06    Wednesday   1,617 MW @ 5 P.M.

7/22/11    Friday           1,599 MW @ 4 P.M. 

8/03/06   Thursday      1,588 MW @ 4 P.M.

8/1/06      Tuesday        1,586 MW @ 5 P.M.

7/6/10       Tuesday        1,572 MW @5 P.M.

7/7/10       Wednesday   1,558 MW @ 5 P.M

7/19/13     Friday           1,558 MW @ 5 P.M.

7/21/11     Thursday      1,540 MW @ 5 P.M.

7/27/05     Wednesday   1,539 MW @ 5 P.M.

6/10/08    Tuesday       1,530 MW @ 5 P.M. 

7/18/06    Tuesday       1,528 MW @ 4 P.M. 

In response to the high demand on Friday and all week, O&R said it would maintain its Heat Alert readiness level as temperatures drop Saturday. The utility also posted a Storm Watch for Saturday in anticipation of forecasted thunderstorms.

“O&R has begun ramping up its emergency response teams, including over 100 contractors, for mobilization early [Saturday] afternoon if needed,” the utility said in a release.

The utility said it would continue to closely monitor its system to fend off any potential issues in the extreme weather.