Cold weather, home working sets new energy consumption record
The cold snap in the second week of February and an increase in people working from home has seen energy consumption rise to a record high, network operator Elektrilevi said.
A new high capacity record was set on February 10 when network consumption reached 1,447 megawatts per hour - the highest for 15 years. There was a 50 percent usage increase among households compared to the same time in 2020.
"There are two factors behind the increase in household consumption - the coronavirus and the colder temperatures," said Tõnu Roosve, product Manager of Elektrilevi Network Service.
"Corona has pushed many people to work at home. This has greatly increased the electricity consumption of home customers," Roosve said, adding there had been a difference of 17 degrees between the same week in 2020 and 2021.
During the first six weeks of 2021, energy consumption has been higher each week than compared to the same time in 2020. The difference has been between 8 and 21 percent.
Until now, the maximum average hourly capacity consumption on the Elektrilevi network was 1,395 MW, Roosve said. The company has suspended maintenance due to the cold weather expected over the coming days.
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Editor: Helen Wright
