Insights > Hottest day on Earth recorded this summer

Hottest day on Earth recorded this summer

By: Corporate Editorial Team

09/13/2023

Entergy's generation fleet successfully supports all-time high electricity usage

Around the world, July is typically the warmest month of the year. This July, according to the National Weather Service, Earth experienced its hottest day on record. And, throughout the areas we serve, similar record-topping temperatures were felt this summer.

In Louisiana, New Orleans surpassed a previous all-time record high at 105 degrees. Other parts of the state also saw repeated days with three-digit temps: Lafayette, 110 degrees; Lake Charles, 109 degrees; and Baton Rouge, 106 degrees. Jackson, Mississippi reached 104 degrees, breaking a record held in the area for nearly 100 years. In Texas, Beaumont and Port Arthur reached 111 degrees. And, Little Rock, Arkansas consistently saw temperatures above 100 degrees.

Customers used record-breaking electricity, too

Considering the historically extreme weather, it is no surprise that this July, our customers used more electricity than they have any other July over the past 10 years. And customers continued using higher levels of electricity than ever before in August, setting an all-time system daily peak – a total of more than 23,000 megawatts used among our 3 million customers.

Customers across our service area exceeded their daily peak electricity usage in August. In fact, new highs were set on 14 separate occasions, and 17 of the top 20 daily system peaks over the last decade occurred this summer.

Entergy Mississippi’s comparison adjusts previous peak loads to account for the current retail load structure.

We must carefully balance demand of electricity with the supply

During such hot days, as customers use significant amounts of electricity, our mission is to keep the grid stable by generating a level of electricity that closely matches the level of customer demand. The level of supply and demand on the electric system must be closely balanced at all times for stability and to ensure reliable service to all electricity customers served by the system. This is a complex process and one that is critical in maintaining the integrity of the bulk electric system – which can be compared to “high voltage highways” of transmission lines that interconnect across the country.

Entergy’s grid is managed by our reliability coordinator Midcontinent Independent System Operator. MISO works across 15 states in the Midwest and the South, extending from Michigan and Indiana to Montana, and from the Canadian border to the Gulf Coast. MISO also serves as the reliability coordinator for additional systems outside of this market area, primarily to the north and northwest of its market footprint.

Generators in our region may be called upon to export energy to support customer demand in other regions of MISO, particularly during periods of high customer demand in those regions. Likewise, generators in those regions may export to our region when we are experiencing high demand, and this can change from hour to hour as system conditions change in response to weather and many other factors. We worked with representatives from MISO to set a plan including committing resources ahead of the weather based on the system conditions and customer demand. Throughout the summer, our generation fleet performed well through the extreme high temperatures and record customer usage. We covered our customer peaks, as well as aided in the successful navigation of these extreme events for MISO’s south region and overall footprint. The sharing of energy across the large MISO region helped maintain reliable service to all MISO member utilities.

The south region of MISO also set an all-time peak record this August, reaching 35,200 MW of electricity demand.

Help manage your energy usage

Extreme summer heat leads to more electricity used by our customers, and that directly impacts your bill cost. In fact, about half of the electricity typically used at home is from running an A/C. You can reduce your energy usage and save money by closing blinds and curtains to block the sun, and by setting the thermostat to 78 degrees or the highest comfortable temperature. Some additional resources include:

• Tips on reducing energy usage.
• More about our energy efficiency programs.
• Ways to manage costs, receive utility bill assistance.
• Monitor your energy usage on myAdvisor.
• Stay safe: Avoid heat illness and know the signs.

Tags

Corporate  Arkansas  Louisiana  Mississippi  New Orleans  Texas  Storm Center  Heat safety  Safety  Summer 

Corporate Editorial Team