For the second straight day Wednesday, Tampa Electric reported customers used a record amount of energy to combat the excessive heat the region has experienced this week.
According to a news release, customers used 4,754 megawatts of energy at 5:37 p.m. Wednesday. That surpassed the previous record of 4,640 megawatts from the previous day.
“We remain concerned about the impact this heat is having on the comfort and safety of our customers,” Archie Collins, TECO president and CEO, said in the release.
The greater Tampa Bay region has been under heat advisories throughout the week, with temperatures in the mid-90s and heat index levels climbing as high as 112 degrees.
On Wednesday, a couple of locations in the region either tied or set heat records.
According to the National Weather Service, the high at its weather station in Ruskin climbed to 97 degrees with a heat index of 110, topping the previous high of 96 set in 2017.
The Sarasota-Bradenton area recorded a high of 96 degrees, tying a record set in 1993.
July was also the hottest month on record.
TECO said it will not disconnect customers because of unpaid bills through at least Aug. 20, as residents run air conditioners to combat the heat.
TECO also offers these tips to help reduce electric bills:
- Set your thermostat at 78 degrees or higher.
- Only use ceiling fans in occupied rooms.
- Lower the temperature setting on your water heater to 120 degrees.
- Check air-conditioning filters each month, and replace as needed.
