Con Edison: newsroom - news release - Weekend Electric Use Soars To No. 2 in Record Books

News

Con Edison Media Relations
For Immediate Release: July 21, 2008
2.15 p.m.

WEEKEND ELECTRIC USE SOARS TO NO. 2 IN RECORD BOOKS

NEW YORK – Con Edison customers nearly set a record for weekend electric use.

The company delivered 458,081 megawatt hours of electricity in New York City and Westchester County on July 19 and 20, 2008, catapulting the past weekend into the second highest spot in the record books. The top weekend electric use was set Aug. 13 and 14, 2005, when New Yorkers used 462,575 megawatt hours.

In addition, Sunday’s peak demand was the second highest for a Sunday as well, reaching 10,619 megawatts at 3 p.m. Peak demand is the maximum amount of power used by customers during a one-hour period.

The all-time peak demand for electricity use was 13,141 megawatts set on Wednesday, August 2, 2006 at 5 p.m. Con Edison first reached the 10,000-megawatt mark in 1988, topped 11,000 megawatts in 1997, broke the 12,000-megawatt barrier in 2001, and surpassed 13,000-megawatts in 2005.
The Con Edison system delivers electricity across a network of 94,000 miles of underground and 36,500 miles of overhead wires to approximately 9 million New York City and Westchester County residents.

During this heat wave, the company continues to urge its 3.2 million customers in New York City and Westchester County to conserve electricity. Simple conservation tips are available at www.conEd.com, including:

Turning off appliances when they are not needed;
Setting air conditioners at 78 degrees or higher;
Closing blinds or curtains to keep out sun light during the day.

The company urges customers to report power interruptions or service problems online at www.conEd.com, or by calling Con Edison’s toll-free customer service number 1-800-75-CON ED (1-800-752-6633). When reporting an outage, customers should have their Con Edison account number, if available, and report whether their neighbors also have lost power.

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