BC Hydro says customers set a new all-time summer peak electricity demand on Tuesday.
Between 5 and 6 p.m. – the hour customers use the most electricity – usage reached 8,715 megawatts, surpassing the previous summer record of 8,652 megawatts set in August 2025.
BC Hydro says another record could be broken Wednesday amid the ongoing heat wave.
The new record, BC Hydro said, reflects a broader shift in how British Columbians are using electricity in the summer.
Now, nearly 70 per cent of B.C. households have some form of air conditioning, “making cooling a significant driver of electricity demand during hot weather.”