Key Grid and Market Stats

New England’s Electricity Use

The region’s millions of households and businesses create the demand for electricity, which must be produced the instant it is needed because electricity cannot easily be stored in large quantities. (Learn how ISO New England runs the power grid.)

Top 10 Demand Days

These are the days with the highest demand (electricity use) recorded in New England since the ISO began managing the power grid in 1997. The top days typically occur during the work week in summer.

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This demand data comes from the Daily Summary of Hourly Data Report, available on the Zonal Information page. The daily peak load for the regional system is included in the “SYSPeak” column on the “ISONE CA” worksheet. The “DT” (date type) column represents the day of the week, where Monday is 1 and Sunday is 7.

A Summer Peaking System

Peak demand is the highest amount of electricity used in a single hour, and the ISO must ensure that the region has sufficient power resources to meet it, even though it’s just for a small fraction of hours each year. In New England, peak demand occurs during the summer when warmer weather leads to increased use of energy-intensive air conditioning.

Peak demand on a normal summer day has typically ranged from 17,500 MW to 22,000 MW. Annual summer peaks, which happen on the hottest and most humid days, have averaged roughly 25,700 MW since 2000. Read about how the ISO prepares for summer operations.
In winter, peak demand on a normal day has typically ranged from approximately 18,000 MW to 19,700 MW. Annual winter peaks, which happen on the coldest days, have averaged roughly 21,000 MW since 2000. Read about how it can be more challenging to meet the winter peak than summer peak.
Typical spring peak demand ranges from 15,000 MW to 16,900 MW, while typical fall peak demand ranges from 15,900 MW to 17,300 MW. However, the actual spring and fall peaks can be much higher if summer-like weather creeps into the late spring or early fall periods.

Until 1989, New England was a winter-peaking system, and in the early 1990s, the region had nearly twin winter and summer peaks. Growing use of air conditioning and a decline in electric heating contributed to this dramatic change.

See how hourly load varies by season and with the impact of solar power.

Fast Stats

7.2 million retail electricity customers; population 14.8 million
121,061 gigawatt-hours (GWh) total annual energy served in 2017 (subject to adjustments)
136,355 GWh all-time highest total annual energy served, set in 2005
28,130 megawatts (MW) all-time summer peak demand, set on August 2, 2006
22,818 MW all-time winter peak demand, set on January 15, 2004
-0.9% average annual growth in regional electricity demand forecasted through 2027, after factoring in energy efficiency (EE) and distributed generation (DG)
-0.04% average annual growth in summer peak demand forecasted through 2027 under normal weather conditions after subtracting EE and DG; -0.2% under extreme summer weather
-0.7% average annual growth in winter peak demand forecasted through 2027 under both normal and extreme weather conditions after subtracting EE and DG

Long-Term Changes in Annual and Peak Demand

Since 2005, total annual demand for electricity from the region’s power system has been declining. Several factors have played a role, though weather is typically the biggest determinant of electricity demand in any given year:

The Great Recession and slow recovery dampened demand for electricity.
The New England states began investing heavily in energy-efficiency programs, which reduce demand from the grid.
The region has seen rapid growth in solar power systems installed “behind the meter” directly at consumer sites or utilities, which serve to reduce demand from the grid.

Energy-efficiency measures and behind-the-meter solar power have also been helping to flatten the growth in peak demand, which had previously been rising in New England.

Annual Electricity Use and Peak Demand on the New England Power System

Forecasted Effects of Energy Efficiency and Solar Power on Electricity Demand

The ISO forecasts that EE measures and behind-the-meter solar photovoltaic (PV) resources will continue to noticeably reduce demand for electricity from the regional high-voltage power system, as illustrated in the graphs that follow.

New England’s annual electricity use is expected to decline by an average of -0.9% over the next decade, from 124,252 gigawatt-hours (GWh) in 2018 to 114,980 GWh in 2027.
Summer peak demand under normal weather conditions of about 90°F (the “50/50” forecast) is also expected to decline at an average rate of -0.4%, from 25,728 MW in 2018 to 24,912 MW in 2027.
Summer peak demand under extreme summer weather (the “90/10” forecast), such as an extended heat wave of about 94°F, pushes the expected peak demand up to 28,119 MW in 2018 to 27,548 MW in 2027—a slight decline at an average rate of -0.2%.
Winter peak demand under normal weather conditions of about 7°F (the “50/50” forecast) is expected to decline an average of-0.7% annually, from 20,357 MW in 2018 to 19,133 MW in 2027.
Winter peak demand under extreme weather of about 2°F (the “90/10” forecast) is also forecasted to decline an average of -0.7% annually, from 21,056 MW in 2018 to 19,832 MW in 2027.

Without the demand-reducing effects of EE and PV, New England’s overall electricity use would be expected to grow an average of 0.9% annually over the next decade, from 142,488 GWh in 2018 to 154,364 GWh in 2027. In summer, peak demand under normal weather would rise at an average annual rate of 0.8%, from 29,060 MW in 2018 to 31,192 MW in 2027, and peak demand under extreme summer weather would also rise at an average annual rate of 0.8%, from 31,451 MW in 2018 to 33,828 MW in 2027. In winter, normal peak demand would rise by an average 0.5% annually, from 23,026 MW this year to 24,024 MW in 2027, while peak demand under extreme cold would rise by an average 0.5% annually as well, from 23,725 MW this year to 24,723 MW in 2027.

Forecasted Effects of EE and PV on Electricity Demand in New England

Demand Type	Weather	Forecast Type	2018	2027	Average Annual Rate of Change
ANNUAL ENERGY USE (GWh)	n/a	Gross	142,488	154,364	0.9%
ANNUAL ENERGY USE (GWh)	n/a	Net (Minus EE and PV)	124,252	114,980	↓-0.9%
SUMMER PEAK (MW)	NORMAL ≈90℉ (the "50/50" forecast)	Gross	29,060	31,192	0.8%
	EXTREME Extended heat wave of ≈94℉ (the "90/10" forecast)	Net (Minus EE and PV)	25,728	24,912	↓-0.4%
		Gross	31,451	33,828	0.8%
		Net (Minus EE and PV)	28,119	27,548	↓-0.2%
WINTER PEAK (MW)	NORMAL ≈7℉ (THE "50/50 forecast)	Gross	23,026	24,024	0.5%
	NORMAL ≈7℉ (THE "50/50 forecast)	Net (Minus EE and PV)	20,357	19,133	↓-0.7%
	EXTREME ≈2℉ (the "90/10" forecast)	Gross	23,725	24,723	0.5%
	EXTREME ≈2℉ (the "90/10" forecast)	Net (Minus EE and PV)	21,056	19,832	↓-0.7%

See Key Stats—Resource Mix for details on the growth in EE, PV, and other clean-energy resources.

annual energy use and summer peak demand

Learn More

The ISO’s Forecast Report of Capacity, Energy, Loads, and Transmission (CELT) provides a 10-year snapshot of the New England power system and is used in power system planning and reliability studies. The CELT is developed each year using state and regional economic forecasts, 40 years of weather history in New England, and other factors.
The CELT also incorporates results from the ISO’s latest energy-efficiency (EE) forecast and solar photovoltaic (PV) forecast, which project the load-reducing effects of EE resources and “behind-the-meter” PV resources connected at customer sites to local distribution systems.