Power use soars during arctic outbreak

The recent cold snap led to record power usage by both natural gas and electricity customers when temperatures plunged well below zero in the Flathead Valley.

Flathead Electric Cooperative had its highest-ever power consumption for a single day on Dec. 6, spokeswoman Wendy Ostrom-Price said.

Flathead Electric members used 6,783 megawatts of power from midnight Dec. 5 to midnight Dec. 6. The power load peaked between 7 and 8 a.m. when area residents were getting ready for the day and used 315.7 megawatts, she said.

On any given normal winter day, Flathead Electric customers use around 280 megawatts during the peak hour of the day.

Flathead Electric’s previous 24-hour usage record was set Dec. 16, 2008, when 6,774 megawatts were used.

“Obviously more energy use is reflected in a higher bill,” Ostrom-Price said. “Sometimes people are surprised by how much more energy they use during the winter months, and during a cold streak in particular, and are surprised by their bill.”

Flathead Electric members who have been with the co-op since 2004 will get some relief this month, though. The cooperative’s capital credits from 2004 are being retired and members should get checks in the mail sometime this month.

NorthWestern Energy spokesman Butch Larcombe said that the utility’s Montana customers used 302 million cubic feet of natural gas on Dec. 6, breaking the old mark of 298 million cubic feet set in 1972.

Natural gas use declined to 286 million cubic feet on Dec. 7. Larcombe said a reduction in business use led to the decreased demand, even though Saturday was the coldest day of the recent frigid weather.