TRAVERSE CITY -- The near record setting heat wave of 2011 is also closing in on record use for electric companies.
Wolverine Power Cooperative hit an all-time peak Wednesday with 515.7 Megawatts of electricity used.
Wolverine Power Coopertive includes Cherryland Electric in the Traverse City Area, Great Lakes Energy in Boyne City, HomeWorks Tri-County in Portland, and Presque Isle Electric in Onaway.
The previous peak was 490 Megawatts set in August 2007.
For individual home use, officials with Cherryland Electric say customer demand is as much as 50% higher this week as compared to last week.
Woverline Power is bracing for another possible record-setting day Thursday.
Consumers Energy expects to hit a peak of 8,200 Megawatts Thursday. That number is just short of the all time record set in 2006 of 8,900 Megawatts. The typical average electricity demand is about 5,000 Megawatts.
The Consumers Energy demand is a total for all of its 1.8 million customers. The company is a part of the Midwest Power Grid Operator (MISO) which manages electric use for 13 states. MISO has alerted all utilities in the system to make sure needs are met, especially during the peak hours of 2-9 p.m..
Officials with Consumers Energy said what drives demand is not only the heat but a long stretch of heat and humidity, which was what led up to the record setting use in 2006.
Traverse City Light & Power hit its peak of electric use for the entire year through out the past three days. The peak use was 69 Megawatts. The normal use for summer months is around 60 Megawatts per day and 35-40 Megawatts at night.
There have been no heat related electric outages.
