Winfield set an all-time hourly high for energy usage Wednesday as residents kept air conditioners running to stave off yet another day of hot summer temperatures.
At 4 p.m., peak power consumption reached 68.7 megawatts, said city manager Warren Porter. It’s the highest peak the city-owned utility has ever recorded and includes wholesale energy the city sends to Oxford under contract.
The city considers usage high anytime it peaks at 60 megawatts or above.
Porter said a number of factors ? but especially the weather ? explain the high usage. Several days of hot weather keep the use of air conditioners up but the city also has a number of industrial customers who consume considerable power to operate.
That includes Newell Rubbermaid which has added equipment the past year.
“Several hot days during the week, when our industrial customers are most active, will always push up usage,” Porter said.
The increased usage has not been a concern for the city so far. Above-normal energy consumption can be an issue when the city has to generate its own electricity but so far all the power needed has been available for purchase through normal agreements and partnerships, Porter said.
