PHOENIX — APS broke its energy usage record on Thursday, just five days after it had surpassed the company's previous record.
As Valley residents continue to seek refuge from an unforgiving heat wave, APS is repeatedly seeing its energy usage reach levels never seen before.
Energy consumption reached a peak of 8,193 megawatts on Thursday, a day that saw temperatures reach a high of 119 degrees in Phoenix. APS said one megawatt powers about 160 homes.
The previous record was set on Saturday, July 15, after peak energy consumption reached 8,191 megawatts. Before 2023, the all-time APS record was set on July 30, 2020.
“Arizona summers can be brutal, and APS is here to serve and ready to respond every day whether we’re faced with heat, monsoon storms, wildfires or all of the above," APS President Ted Geisler said in a statement.
APS provides electricity for over 1 million homes and businesses in 11 of Arizona's 15 counties.
What is the Valley?:
“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:
- Mesa
- Chandler
- Scottsdale
- Tempe
- Glendale
- Surprise
- Peoria
- Gilbert
- El Mirage
- Avondale
- Litchfield Park
- Goodyear
- Buckeye
Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.
The cities of the Valley have a combined population of 4,845,832 people, according to the 2020 United States Census. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country right behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.
How big is Maricopa County?:
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.
The county was named after the Maricopa, or Piipaash, Native American Tribe.