peak demand
Highest consumption period
Peak demand is the highest level of electricity or resource consumption during a given period.
Utilities track peak demand to ensure grid capacity meets surges—typically hot summer afternoons when air conditioners run full blast, or cold winter evenings when heating systems strain.
Peak demand pricing discourages use during high-load hours.
Infrastructure must be built to handle peaks, not averages.
- brownoutTemporary power decrease
- rolling blackoutPlanned, sequential power interruptions
- load sheddingDeliberate power interruption
- smart metersAutomated utility usage recorders
- baseloadMinimum continuous power demand
power plants · time of use · heatwave · summer afternoon · power outage · energy storage · power grid · consumption patterns · load balancing · grid · solar power · electric vehicles · blackout · critical infrastructure · energy efficiency · pricing · utility bills · surge
- energyelectricity, power, oil, fuel, gas
- utilitieselectricity, water supply, public utilities, water line, gas service
- demandneed, want, desire, request, requirement
- electrical gridpower grid, power grids, electrical grid, power line, power lines
- Energy Marketsspot market, wholesale market, spot price, power exchange, bid
- energy metricspower consumption, wattage, kilowatt hours, power rating, energy output