Extreme heat spurs record-breaking energy use for summer
Extreme heat pushed Tampa Electric customers to use record amounts of energy Wednesday.
At 5:17 p.m. Wednesday, customers set a new record for summer electricity use – the highest amount of electricity used at any one moment – with 4,514 megawatts (MW). That surpassed the previous hourly record of 4,428 MW, which was set June 25, 2019.
“Rest assured, Tampa Electric has enough electricity to meet demand during this week’s unusually hot weather,” said Archie Collins, president and chief executive officer of Tampa Electric. “It is good to remember that this type of weather makes air conditioners work extra hard to keep you and your home or business cool.”
On Wednesday, temperatures in Tampa Bay hit 97 degrees, with a heat index of 105, which broke the previous record of 95 degrees, set on that day in 1960, according to the National Weather Service. All that sun helped Tampa Electric’s solar plants to produce 558 MW of electricity during the day on Wednesday – more than 12 percent of the energy required at that time.
Concerned the high temperatures will cause a high energy bill? Tampa Electric offers more energy-saving programs than any other investor-owned utility in Florida. Learn more online at tampaelectric.com/save.
• Set your thermostat at 78 degrees or higher in the summer.
• Only use ceiling fans in occupied rooms. Fans cool people, not furniture.
• Lower the temperature setting on your water heater to 120 degrees.
• Clean or replace air conditioning filters each month. This helps the unit run more efficiently.
Tampa Electric’s nationally-certified energy analysts are ready to help customers do everything possible to use energy wisely. Sign up for an online or telephone audit.
Tampa Electric, one of Florida’s largest investor-owned electric utilities, serves more than 800,000 customers in West Central Florida. Tampa Electric is a subsidiary of Emera Inc., a geographically diverse energy and services company headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
