avoid peak hours
With summer fast approaching and demand for electricity on the rise as AC units start to get turned on again, it’s becoming more important to time your own household’s energy use to coincide with off peak hours.
Peak demand hours are those during which the most electricity is consumed. In the U.S., peak demand occurs during the afternoons, and is especailly high in the summer. To cover the heightened demand, peak-load power plants (aka “peakers”) as opposed to base load power plants (which provide a steady flow of power regardless of total power demand by the grid) are used. Because a peaker may only operate just a few hours a day to as little as a few hours per year, it’s not considered economically practical to make it as efficient as a base-load power plant. The higher demand gets during peak hours, the more of these inefficient peakers need to be built in order to meet it.
You can do your part to avoid adding to peak electricity demand by shifting energy-intensive tasks, such as doing the laundry and washing dishes, to off-peak hours like those during the mornings, nights and weekends. Just be mindful of the clock whenever you decide it’s time to put those big appliances to work. Visit Flex Your Power’s website to learn more.
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