With temperatures close to triple digits, Philadelphia-Pennsylvania-based PECO’s 1.6 million electric customers made history last week, setting a new all-time peak for electric usage at 8,943 MW at 6 p.m. on July 22. This new record surpasses the previous record of 8,932 MW set on Aug. 3, 2006.

The peak electric usage number will not be finalized until Monday, July 25, 2011.

PECO’s electric distribution system has performed well under extreme heat and unprecedented customer demand during the past several days. The company has activated its emergency response organization and has extra crews on-hand to respond to any situations that may occur. The company also is working closely with PJM Interconnection, the power grid operator for our area to monitor conditions across the Mid-Atlantic region.

PECO performs special work each year to meet the increased demand customers and their cooling devices place on the electric system during the summer months. Part of the company’s $440 million capital investment plan for this year, PECO’s summer readiness program ranged from inspecting and maintaining aerial and underground electrical equipment, substations and other facilities; upgrading, replacing and repairing equipment to meet customer needs; emergency response drills and other training for employees; to maintenance and testing of various computer and support systems.