Monday's cold weather set some new records for energy usage in Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities' service area.From a company news release:
- The LG&E and KU combined electric systems set a new all-time winter peak record of 7,106 megawatts. To help put that in perspective, this surpasses the previous all-time winter peak electric record of 6,555 megawatts set in 2009.
- In addition, LG&E experienced a peak electric demand of 2,096 megawatts at 7 p.m., which exceeded the previous all-time winter peak electric record, as well as the record for the month of January, for LG&E.
- LG&E also set a new all-time natural gas system record of 557 million cubic feet of natural gas usage in a 24-hour period. This exceeded the previous 24-hour record of 538 million cubic feet of natural gas set in 1985.
- KU experienced a peak electric demand of 5,027 megawatts at 9 p.m., which exceeded the previous all-time system peak electric record of 4,640 megawatts set in 2009.
This is a lot of energy. LG&E is asking ratepayers to try to reduce energy consumption during the cold weather (but these are also tips that can work year-round. The utility suggests turning down the thermostat, putting on a sweater, using a microwave or slow cooker for meals and opening curtains and blinds to let sunlight in during the day. For more tips, click here.
