Due to improvements in energy efficiency and conservation methods, summer power demands for New England and northeastern Canada are expected to fall this year. The Northeast Power Coordinating Council, a group that promotes energy reliability in the six New England states and four Canadian provinces, including Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, has announced that there will be an ample amount of electricity to supply the 55 million residents of the region this season.

According to the organization, the area will have the same amount of resources to generate electricity as was available during the peak temperatures of the summer of 2012.

"Hot and muggy weather and continuous use of heavy air conditioning remain the single largest factor affecting peak electricity demand in the summer," council president Edward Schwerdt told reporters.

But while the supply will remain the same, the demand for that power is expected to be 0.3 percent lower this summer compared to last year. This reduction comes in spite of a gradually improving economy, which would normally indicate higher electricity consumption for offices and factories opening for business.

This balance of maintained supply and decreasing demand can be attributed to new power generating methods that have recently been added to the area, including the reopening of the Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station in New Brunswick. Additionally, 155 megawatts of wind power production capacity has been installed in New England since last summer (one megawatt can power roughly 1,000 homes). A 660-megawatt transmission line to run between Manhattan and New Jersey, and further transmission lines for New England, are also in the pipeline. 

Maryland residents can also work to reduce their dependence on the power grid this summer. To learn more about how to curb unnecessary electrical consumption on your property, contact a home inspection contractor today.