HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Those scorching summer temperatures... leading to a big moment in TVA history. The Tennessee Valley Authority has set a 2024 power demand record, hitting their highest summer peak this year.
TVA's spokesperson Scott Fiedler said it's a fact that we use more electricity as it gets hotter or cooler, and they've seen a lot of power use this summer starting in June and running all the way until yesterday with a record power load for this summer and 2024. "Coming from a spring to a summer, we use about 30 to 40% more electricity." Fiedler said "that" is based on your air conditioner. "So as temperatures increase, we use our AC more to keep us cool and safe. so we expect power demand to rise. and yesterday, we saw a record for this summer of 31,096 megawatts."
Your air conditioner is responsible for about 50% of your home's energy use during the summer. As Fiedler mentioned, the hotter it is or the colder it is, the more energy you use. So in the summertime, it's the AC that we have to run. "It's 50% of your house and then it's same thing during the winter. Your heater is about 50% of your heating bill during the winter if you've got electric heat. so we really see in our region extremes."
Fiedler continued that TVA wants people to save money on their power bill and shares some tips how to keep those costs down. "Close the blinds during the hottest part of the day that keeps the heat out. Use the ceiling fan. You'll be four or five degrees cooler just having that air circulate. But make sure you turn it off when you leave the room and then simply turn the ac up, probably a degree or two for every degree. You can save up to 3% on your power bill."
Furthermore, because the region's population is growing three-times faster than the national average, TVA is investing nearly $16 billion over the next three years to build additional generation, to keep up with all the population. Though Thursday marked the highest demand of 2024, It's not the "overall" record holder. The all-time highest summer peak in TVA history was August 16, 2007.