Along with a record-high temperature set on Wednesday, Valley residents set a record with the amount of power they use.

Arizona Public Service Co. users set a record for demand between 5 and 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 9, at 8,527 megawatts. It marks the third consecutive year APS has set a record for peak energy demand, officials said.

SRP officials also said the utility hit a peak demand of 8,324 megawatts between 3 and 4 p.m., a new record for the tuility. SRP last record for energy use was Aug. 4, 2024, at 8,205 megawatts.

APS and SRP utilities forecast demand for summer and work on having resources available for peak power times. The utility has continued to increase its power generation as well as work to keep pace with new infrastructure.

“Arizona is growing fast, and APS is building out the energy grid to keep pace,” said Brian Cole, APS vice president of resource management, in a press release. “Our team monitors customer needs by the minute, plans decades ahead and covers everything in between. From 24/7 nuclear to flexible natural gas, coal, solar, wind, battery storage and our partnerships with customers – we’re delivering reliable service with balanced resources at the lowest cost possible.”

The records won’t stop. APS officials estimate that by 2038, its customers will require more than 13,000 megawatts of peak energy demand. One megawatt is enough to serve about 160 Arizona homes. APS currently serves about 1.4 million customers.

The above graph shows peak demand records per decade for APS customers going back to the 1970s. (APS)

SRP also is expanding its resource mix of power generation as both utilities have promised to ween carbon from their prodcution.

“SRP plans ahead to ensure we have the energy resources necessary to meet projected summer demand,” said Pam Syrjala, SRP senior director of supply and trading, in a press release. “We engaged our demand response program and leveraged a diverse mix of generation, including solar, battery storage and natural gas, to maintain reliability for our customers.”