PHOENIX — Last year was the hottest ever recorded worldwide, and experts said this year will likely bring more of the same. With summer just weeks away, Arizona power suppliers are preparing to keep all of us cool.
Arizona Public Service said last year was a record-breaking energy use year for their customers and they're projecting for it to happen again this year. It's something the electric utility has been preparing for year-round.
APS said there were 18 days of record-breaking energy use on their electrical grid last year. Their customers also broke the previous record of about 7,600 megawatts, using about 8,200 megawatts last year. This year's estimated power usage stands even higher at 8,400 megawatts.
The power supplier said the increase could be caused by a growing Arizona economy, more industries like manufacturing moving to the state and an increase in charging electric vehicles at home.
Yessica Del Rincon, an APS spokesperson, said they work 12 months a year to up the power capacity.
"They look at about 15 years in advance, where they start to really dig into the data, modeling and making customer assessments. Based off of those plans we know how much power we need to have on hand," Del Rincon said. "Making sure that we have that robust power supply put in place well ahead of the summer time, to make sure we’re meeting those customer needs.”
From drones in confined spaces to infrared cameras, APS is using high-tech equipment to make sure power stays on. Drones monitor and inspect lines for APS, using high definition visual, infrared and thermal technology.
On the ground, Spot the robot dog and a track robot are designed for inspections. The inspections are done in confined spaces that might not be as safe for humans to enter. APS Predictive Maintenance Supervisor Scott Alford said APS has been using the drones for the last 10 years and they improve as technology advances.
“We’re able to see probably twice as much, twice as fast with that type of technology," Alford said. "It makes us a lot more effective at improving reliability and comfort to the customers in Arizona.”
APS said there are different rate plans to cut down on power bills. To find the best money-saving plan, customers can reach out and explain how they use energy and find the best fit. There are also discounts and rebates for using different smart thermostats, called APS cool rewards.
More money and energy savings tips include avoiding using energy during the peak heating periods of the day, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Try to pre-cool your home, clean your filters and have your air conditioning unit serviced.
If you do experience an outage during any time of the year, the APS outage map provides real-time updates. There's also a 24-7 call center.
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