Electrical grid across Philadelphia region being closely monitored as area sees record high temperatures

Demand for electricity peaked Thursday across the Philadelphia region as temperatures reached record high numbers in the afternoon. Officials have been closely monitoring the electrical grid, which is said to be under extreme stress due to HVAC systems operating around the clock.

Ed Johnson of Havertown's Boyle Energy is busy with broken-down air conditioners.

"A lot of people may have issues prior and put it off, and then these temps exacerbate that and they go into complete failure," Johnson said.

Changing filters and adjusting the temperature a little higher are ways, he says, to increase efficiency and lessen strain.

"When it goes up to 100, 108, if you can maintain 78, you're doing well, can't do better than that," he said.

Meanwhile, the energy grid is experiencing a super load because of all those air conditioners. 

"We've been monitoring the weather all week long and have crews strategically placed to respond to outages if they were to occur quickly and safely as possible," PECO Spokesperson Matt Rankin said.

PJM Interconnection is the power grid operator for 13 states, including Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. Demand for power soared to 163,000 megawatts — close to the grid's all-time record set in 2006. PECO says, for its part, they're keeping up.

"What we see is our system performing well," Rankin said. "We haven't had any severe outages at this time. We expect increased usage throughout the weekend."

Grid experts expect a very slight break in demand for Friday, but not much.

Meanwhile, union workers who maintain PECO's electric and natural gas lines and serve customers in the Philadelphia region plan to go on strike on July 4 if demands for a new contract are not met.