PSE Reports Deep Freeze Sets New Natural Gas Usage Record Again This Week

This week’s continued cold weather with below-freezing temperatures pushed Puget Sound Energy’s customer natural gas usage to a new record high on Friday (Dec. 19), surpassing the one set earlier this week.

PSE’s natural gas demand reached 780,000 MMBtus (million British thermal units), surpassing Monday’s usage of 755,881 MMBtus.

Friday’s peak electricity usage of 4,772 MW (megawatts), which occurred at 6 p.m., did not break Monday’s record of 4,906 MW.

PSE has sufficient supplies of electricity and natural gas to meet this week’s exceptional demand. Anticipating this weekend’s high winds and cold temperatures, PSE crews and employees are on alert to respond to any customer electric outages or natural gas emergencies.

PSE cautions customers that December’s increased energy usage will be reflected in future energy bills and urges everyone to use energy wisely, particularly during the peak periods of customer use from 6:30 to 9 a.m. and from 4 to 7:30 p.m.

PSE customers who think they may have difficulty with higher bills should contact the utility to inquire about payment plans or other available payment assistance options.

For more energy-saving tips and information about bill-payment plans, visit PSE.com or call 1-888-225-5773.

About Puget Sound Energy

Washington state’s oldest and largest energy utility, with a 6,000-square-mile service area stretching across 11 counties, Puget Sound Energy serves more than 1 million electric customers and nearly 750,000 natural gas customers. PSE, a subsidiary of Puget Energy (NYSE:PSD), meets the energy needs of its growing customer base primarily in Western Washington through incremental, cost-effective energy conservation, procurement of sustainable energy resources, and far-sighted investment in the energy-delivery infrastructure. PSE employees are dedicated to providing great customer service to deliver energy that is safe, reliable, reasonably priced, and environmentally responsible. For more information, visit www.PSE.com.