Portland General Electric (PGE) customers worked together to reduce energy use during Portland’s first heat wave of summer 2024.
Collective energy conservation actions of customers along with PGE’s ongoing system upgrades and preparedness efforts supported reliable power delivery and grid stability during extremely high power demand. Customer actions reduced electricity demand by nearly 109 MW during peak demand hours on July 8, and 100 MW on July 9, enough electricity to power over 90,000 homes for a four-hour period.
Participating in PGE’s energy shifting programs, avoiding running large appliances during evening hours, and energy conservation efforts enabled the significant energy-demand reduction.
PGE activated its portfolio of energy shifting programs, which approximately 200,000 customers participate in, to help minimize strain on the grid due to the hot weather.
Advancements in technologies and electrification are creating a more active electric grid and customers are able to play a more active role that has an impact on the stability and health of the grid, while saving money on their power bill.
PGE employees worked on many efforts to address or prevent potential heat-related issues, including staffing extra crews to respond to any outages and taking technical precautions to help keep essential distribution equipment from overheating.
Customers are requested to enroll in energy shifting programs like Peak Time Rebates, Smart Thermostat, Time of Day and EV Smart Charging, which enable PGE to safely reduce power use on the system during peak demand.
