Record power use as mercury reaches record 102 degrees in Reno

RENO, Nev. (AP) - Sierra Pacific Power Co. reported an all-time record use of electricity in northern Nevada Tuesday as the high temperature soared to a record 102 degrees in Reno.

The record high at Reno-Tahoe International Airport was set just before 4 p.m., surpassing the old record of 101 degrees set in 2002, the National Weather Service said.

Sierra Pacific Power Co. reported a record system peak of 1,686 megawatt hours was recorded at 5 p.m. Tuesday. The prior record was 1,657 megawatts established on July 30, 2003.

Sierra Pacific's sister company in southern Nevada, Nevada Power Co., also reported a record Tuesday of 5,062 megawatt hours at 5 p.m., breaking the old record of 4,969 megawatts on Aug. 11, 2004. The temperature reached 111 degrees there, 2 degrees short of the record high for the date.

Company officials attributed the record power usage to increased use of air conditioners as well as customer growth in the company's service area. They said another new record could be set later this week.

Reno's forecast called for another high near 100 on Wednesday. The Reno record for July 13 was 101 set in 1972.

Sierra Pacific officials urged customers to set their air conditioners to 78 degrees and to run appliances such as dishwashers and dryers during off-peak hours, between 8 p.m. and 11 a.m.

The utility now serves about 345,000 customers in northern Nevada and the Lake Thane area of California. One megawatt is enough to power about 600 homes and businesses.

Nevada Power now has more than 745,000 customers, up from 700,000 just a year ago. Both companies are subsidiaries of Sierra Pacific Resources.