Idaho residents are using record-breaking amounts of electricity

We don’t have to tell you how hot it is in the Treasure Valley: it’s scorching hot and there’s no getting away from it. Throw in some smoke from the surrounding wildfires and let’s face it, even our astonishing outside is not so pleasant at the moment.

What is happening inside while all that ‘noise’ is going on outside? Well, most people do their best to find the cool air — or stay cool.

How Cold Do You Keep Your Home During Heat Waves Like This? Experts say Idahoans shouldn’t set their air conditioners lower than 80 degrees, but some say that’s just not reasonable.

It seems like there are really two camps when it comes to cooling down in the summer.

People who don’t turn on their air conditioning at all in the summer because it’s just too expensive, and people who turn on their air conditioning so often that their house feels like a walk-in freezer!

According to Idaho Power, MANY people use air conditioning these days.

If you can believe it, Idaho Power has reported record breaking power consumption – a total of 3,792 ‘megawatts’, which was reached on Monday, July 22, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The record was last broken in June 2021, but this time there is one interesting difference.

In 2021, Idaho Power asked the public to conserve power and go easy during high demand hours to reduce the strain on our grid. This year, they are not asking the public for that help. Why? Interestingly, Idaho Power officials say that upgrades to hydroelectric plants and solar with batteries are making power much more available to customers. Amazing what these renewables are doing!