Extreme heat triggers high power demand
Energy Assistant Secretary Mario Marasigan
THE demand for electricity to cool down houses because of the extreme heat has increased nationwide, an official of the Department of Energy (DoE) said.
“Increasing temperatures that are prevailing in the country apparently also account for the continuously increasing demand for electricity,” Energy Assistant Secretary Mario Marasigan told The Manila Times.
Marasigan said that on April 24, the country surpassed its peak demand for 2024 with a 14,016-megawatt peak (MWp) for Luzon, which was 99 MWp higher than the 13,917 MWp projection.
In the Visayas, it was 2,891 MWp against the original projection of 2,586 MWp. For Mindanao, it was 2,584 against the original projection of 2,534.
Marasigan added that last year, the peak demand for Luzon was 575 MW below projection, the Visayas 233 MW below projection, and Mindanao 72 MW below projection.
Despite the high demand, Marasigan said that the supply of electricity across all grids from Luzon to Mindanao was sufficient.
Marasigan advised the public to set air conditioning systems at a comfortable temperature of 25 degrees Celsius, which is the DoE’s recommended setting.
He added that the DoE discouraged unnecessary usage of energy-intensive appliances at the peak hours of 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m.