Massive consumption of electricity amid a punishing heatwave sustaining over weeks pushed peak power demand of Delhi to an all-time high level of 8,656 MW on Wednesday afternoon, said discom officials. The peak power demand was on Tuesday recorded at 8647 MW, the second highest in this summer season.

According to the real time data of State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC) Delhi, the peak power demand reached 8,656 MW at 15:06:55 hrs on Wednesday.  On their part, BRPL and BYPL successfully met the peak power demand of 3778 MW and 1886 MW in their respective areas.

Delhi experienced the warmest night in 12 years on Tuesday with the minimum temperature settling at 35.2 degrees Celsius, over eight notches above the season's normal, the weather office said. The maximum temperature of the day is expected to be around 44 degrees Celsius.

Wednesday was the 31st day in a row Delhi's peak power demand crossed the 7,000 MW. Delhi's peak power demand never crossed 7,000 MW  during the month of May 2023 and crossed the 7,000 MW in May only once in 2022.

Given this condition, experts said air conditioning accounts for a whopping 30-50% of a household's or business's annual energy costs. By increasing the temperature setting on your AC by just 1°C, you could slash your electricity consumption by approximately 6%.

Due to the extra ordinary heat-wave and consequently unprecedented power demand, the power systems are under stress. Even though they have been able to take the extreme power load, it is advisable that consumers should use the AC thermostat at 26-27 °C for comfortable and cost-effective cooling during the peak hours - 2 pm-4 pm and 10 pm-12:30 am.

Increasing AC temperature by 1 degrees C reduces electricity consumption by 6 per cent- Set your AC thermostat at 24 °C for comfortable and cost-effective cooling, they said adding judicial use of electrical equipments like ACs, especially during peak hours (2 PM to 4 PM) and 10 PM to 12 Midnight helps in conserving energy.

Avoid using electricity guzzling gadgets like ACs and Washing Machines together during the peak hours (2 PM to 4 PM) and 10 PM to 12 Midnight. Keep air-conditioned room doors closed as much as possible to retain cool air and use ceiling fans alongside the AC to circulate air and reduce the AC's workload.