Summer Peak Demand:

Energy usage throughout Idaho Power’s service region “peaks” or is the highest during the hot summer months.  Why?  Because a large number of customers use their air conditioners to get relief from heat and farmers use electricity to run their irrigation pumps.

When it’s hot in Idaho, it’s often hot all across the west.  All the western electric utilities, including Idaho Power, need extra energy supplies during these times.  The extra energy that Idaho Power customers require in the summer comes from generation sources such as peak power plants and the purchase of electricity from other utilities on the wholesale market. These additional sources of power generation lead to higher electricity costs during the summer.

There are actions you can take to lessen the effects of higher summer rates on your monthly bills.  The first step to managing your electricity usage is to be conscious of when and how you’re using electricity.   For example, during the summer avoid doing laundry between 4 and 8 p.m.  Rather than using your oven and stove to cook dinner, fire up your barbecue and keep the heat outside where it belongs.  Consider using ceiling fans rather than central air conditioning and keep your drapes closed to help keep individual rooms cooler.

Finally, consider adding extra attic insulation to help keep your home cool in the summer (and warm in the winter).   Idaho Power’s Home Improvement Program offers an incentive of 15-cents per square foot of installed attic insulation up to R-50 when installed by a qualified contractor.