Q: What does peak time mean, and how does it affect how I use energy at home?
A: “Beat the peak” has become a unified message among electric utilities as the demand for electricity grows year after year. Your utility must deliver around-the-clock electricity to power your life. To understand why it is so important for everyone to use less energy when there is high demand for electricity, known as peak times, let’s start with the complex system that delivers electricity to your home.
The U.S. power grids are often considered some of the largest machines in the world. Some could argue they are our country’s greatest achievements as reliable electricity has become essential to our daily lives and our economy.
The United States has three main interconnected power grids: Eastern Interconnection, Western Interconnection and Electric Reliability Council of Texas. Each interconnection has regional balancing authorities, which are organizations that ensure electricity supply constantly matches power demand.
The interconnections are powered by electric generation from various sources, including hydropower, nuclear, coal, gas, wind and solar. Some of these generation sources can supply power constantly or be ramped up or down depending on demand, while others supply intermittent power. The energy produced by these sources connects to the grid and moves along transmission lines that allow power to travel long distances.
Your electric utility is known as a distribution utility, which operates the power infrastructure connecting transmission lines to the distribution lines that bring electricity to your home.
This system and the more than 2 million people who operate it are continually working behind the scenes so we can take advantage of a 24/7 supply of electricity at the flip of a switch.
Throughout the day, demand for power supply changes. If supply and demand fall out of balance, local or widespread blackouts can occur. To maintain reliable power, especially during peak times, there must be enough power supply to equal demand.
Due to supply and demand, the cost to buy power is higher during peak times. Peak times vary across the country but are typically in the morning as we start our day and in the evening when we return home.
The demand for power increases every year. The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Annual Energy Outlook 2023 projects residential consumption of purchased electricity will increase between about 14% and 22% from 2022 to 2050. Industrial, transportation and commercial consumption is also projected to experience increased demand.
As generation, transmission and distribution utilities work to increase production and maintain and protect our grid, it’s important for all of us to take steps to use less energy every day. In turn, these steps can help us save on monthly electric bills.
To beat the peak, think about how you can use less energy in the morning and evening. Start by adjusting your thermostat during peak hours, either up or down a few degrees, depending on the season. A smart thermostat can do this for you automatically.
Are there certain appliances or devices you can wait to run until after peak hours? For example, start the dishwasher or dryer before you go to bed. If you have an electric vehicle, program it to charge overnight instead of right when you return home in the evening. Use smart power strips to ensure your devices are not pulling power when they are turned off. These devices work well for TVs and gaming devices.
If you have appliances that are 10-plus years old, consider replacing them with new, efficient Energy Star-rated appliances. Your electric utility may have rebates to help lower the cost.
To learn more about your local peak times and how you can use less energy, contact your electric utility.
By embracing energy conservation, we can all make small changes that have big impacts on our communities and the system that powers our lives.