U.S. hourly electricity demand peaked in July with widespread heatwaves

Last summer, U.S. electricity demand in the Lower 48 states was greatest at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on July 15, 2024, when it reached about 745 gigawatthours (GWh), based on data in our Hourly Electric Grid Monitor. In our analysis, we calculate each day’s peak according to the hour with the highest electricity demand. This year’s U.S. summer hourly peak (745 GWh) was essentially the same as in 2023 (742 GWh) and in 2022 (743 GWh). On the other hand, U.S. generation from January through July was about 2,500 terawatthours (TWh), 4% more than the 2,397 TWh generated in the same period last year, according to our Electricity Power Monthly.