RUNNING HOT AND COLD

Whether air conditioner or a furnace, it takes lots of electricity to operate the

appliances that keep us comfortable when temperatures hit summer highs and
winter lows. Electricity use set a statewide wintertime record of 55,856
megawatts Friday morning as an Arctic front chilled most of the state.
Here’s how Houston-area peak power use correlated with temperatures over a year
that included a hotter-than-average summer and the beginning of a cold winter:
TEMPERATURE
Daily highs at Bush Intercontinental Airport:

100°

80°

60°

40°

20°

0
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC J
2009 ’10
Statewide numbers Friday: 55,856
ELECTRICITY 60 ,000
Local peak daily demand (megawatts): Electricity peaks for the
first eight days of January 50
20,000 (in megawatts): 40
30
20
15,000 10
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

10,000

5,000 Local electricity

peaks after
Nov. 30 aren’t
yet available
0
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC J
2009 ’10
Sources: CenterPoint Energy, Electric Reliability Council of Texas, National Weather Service CHRONICLE