A mild August cooled off electricity demand in central Maryland, but conservation efforts and a tough economy may have also played a role in lower usage.
Each of Baltimore Gas and Electric’s 1.1 million residential customers in central Maryland used an average of 1,084 kilowatt hours per month in June, July, and August, according to figures provided to The Examiner by the utility.
That usage was down 6.3 percent from the 1,157 kilowatt hours used on average during each of those months in 2007.
“I think a lot of that is driven by weather,” said Wayne Harbaugh, BGE vice president of pricing and regulatory services. “June and July were a little warmer this year than last, but August was dramatically cooler.”
The utility uses a formula called the Temperature Humidity Index, a measure of humidity-corrected temperature. The most severe summer day would register at about 15 on the scale, on a typical summer day the value would be about 11, and on a mild spring or fall day, the value would be about 4. The daily values are added together to create a monthly measure.
June was much hotter than last year, with a 191.2 rating on the index, up from 168.4 in 2007, according to BGE data, and the rating in July was 249.2, up from 219.3 last year. But temperatures in August cooled off dramatically, totaling just 160.2 on the index, down from 244 last year.
However, Harbaugh said that energy conservation efforts such as compact fluorescent light bulbs chipped away at energy demand from residential customers.
No power shortages were reported anywhere in BGE’s area this summer. PJM Interconnection, operators of the 13-state power grid that includes Maryland, said the system was not taxed during the warm months.
Electricity demand across the entire grid was down 15.9 percent in June, July, and August, according to PJM spokesman Ray Dotter.
The highest demand for electricity this summer came on June 9, but was down 6.7 percent from the peak summer demand day in 2007.
