A wave of summer heat is blanketing the Okanagan and residents are wasting no time reaching for the Air Conditioning (A/C).
According to Fortis BC, their systems hit a new summer peak load of 615 Megawatts (MW) on Monday, July 16), eclipsing the company’s previous summer peak load of 601 MW that was set on August 5, 2014.
"Because of the upgrades we’ve completed over the years, especially in Kelowna and the South Okanagan, we’re confident our system will deliver the electricity our customers are relying on, even as the temperatures spike," said Nicole Bogdanovic, Corporate Communications Advisor for Fortis BC.
Fortis BC provides electricity for the majority of the Central and South Okanagan, where Environment Canada has issued multiple heat warnings for with temperatures touching 35°C.
Customers worried about what their upcoming electricity bill will look like, Fortis BC recommends using the company's online tracking tool that provides electricity customers the ability to see how their electricity use changes at different times, suggests ways to save energy and see what rebates may be available to them.
The company is anticipating the record summer peak load to increase over the next few days when it could get as high as 620 MW.
Fortis BC's highest peak load on record is 746 MW from December 2008.
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