During one of the hottest summers on record, California public power utility Imperial Irrigation District served a new all-time high customer electrical energy demand in 2024, a significant achievement in the face of extreme weather conditions and growing energy needs, it said on Sept. 23.
The new record of 1,177 megawatts was reached between the hours of 4 and 5 p.m. on September 5, as IID’s electrical service area experienced excessive temperatures of 117 degrees Fahrenheit during several days of intense summer heat.
“The system held well, despite the high temperatures and increased energy demand,” said IID General Manager Jamie Asbury, congratulating the district’s Power Department employees and the invaluable contributions of IID’s power customers who conserved energy during the harsh weather.
The district was able to meet the high energy load, avoiding rolling outages experienced by other areas, by diligently preparing for the summer months to keep its internal generation and field equipment running and maintaining a diverse portfolio of energy generation resources.
In response to IID Conserve Alert notifications, the district’s customer base helped reduce the energy load by setting air conditioners at 78 or higher, giving major appliances a break between the hours of 4 and 9 p.m., and turning off unnecessary lights. This helped the district maintain reliable energy delivery service and avert rotating power outages.
During the summer of 2024, the district issued four Conserve Alert notifications seeking voluntary customer conservation.
The new power demand peak surpassed IID’s previous peak record by 25 megawatts.
IID serves about 165,000 electric meters including residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural customers.
