• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / Weather / Electric usage high as temperatures rise

Electric usage high as temperatures rise

July 19, 2011 By Dar Danielson

The heat wave across Iowa has air conditioners and fans working hard and that’s using a lot of electricity. MidAmerican Energy communications director, Ann Thielan says electric usage jumped up to around to 4,500 megawatts Monday afternoon.

She says during the weekend they were running around 4,000 megawatts, compared to last week, where it was registering around 35 to 3,800 with normal summer temperatures. Not only did the thermometer climb with the midday heat, Thielen said Monday it was evident that this heat isn’t dropping off much overnight, as she says they were already seeing some high usage numbers in the morning.

Thielen says they should have enough extra capacity to handle the heavier load. Thielen says they have more than 7,000 megawatts of generation capacity, and some of that is wind, which is not there when there are high temperatures and little wind, but she says they have more than enough generation capacity. Thielen says they have a program that cycles off some of the energy use.

Thielen says customers who sign up have their air conditioners cycled off every 10 to 15 minutes during weekdays. The fan on the cooling system keeps running, but the air conditioner does not keep running constantly. Thielen asks customers to take whatever steps they can to conserve energy while still staying cool.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Weather Tagged With: Utilities

Featured Stories

DOT plow crews struggling against blizzard conditions

Iowa delegation breaks along party lines on Trump impeachment vote

Two northeast Iowa men admit to illegally harvesting ginseng

Do you have to pay tax on your stimulus check?

All six in Iowa’s congressional delegation confirm Electoral College results

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

Iowa State-Kansas postponed

Iowa-Michigan State postponed

Fire damage to Riverfront Stadium electrical system will cost Waterloo thousands

Iowa State at Kansas State postponed

Iowa State’s Foster to miss remainder of the season

More Sports

eNews and Updates

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Archives

Copyright © 2021 ยท Learfield News & Ag, LLC