Pennsylvania Power & Light Co. customers set a record for summertime electricity use early Tuesday (7/15) evening.

With high temperatures and heavy humidity throughout central and eastern Pennsylvania, PP&L customers used 6,051,000 kilowatt-hours between 5 and 6 p.m., according to preliminary calculations. The former summertime record of 6,021,000 kwh was set Aug. 2, 1995.

PP&L is a member of the Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland Interconnection, a regional power pool that coordinates the distribution of power to nearly 23 million customers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and Washington, D.C. PJM set an all-time record of 49,820,000 kilowatt-hours Tuesday between 4 and 5 p.m., according to preliminary calculations. The previous PJM record was set on Aug. 2, 1995, at 48,524,000 kwh.

High power use is expected to continue throughout the week.

"PP&L customers today used the most electricity for the summertime in the history of the company," said Bob Hinkel, manager of PP&L's transmission and distribution operations. "Our power plants are performing well, and we are meeting our customers' record need for electricity.

"It's always a good idea to use energy wisely, particularly during periods of peak electricity demand," Hinkel said. "Barring any unforeseen problems like a problem at a major generating station, we expect to have adequate supplies of electricity to meet demand."

Customers can use energy wisely by shifting the use of major electric appliances, such as washing machines, clothes dryers, dishwashers and electric stoves, to early morning or evening hours.

Other measures customers could take to save electricity include blocking out daytime sun with drapes and shades to help keep the home cool, and turning off the television, radio and stereo when they aren't being used.

The record set today is again for summertime usage. PP&L customers use more electricity in the winter. PP&L's all-time use record is 6,607,000 kwh set Feb. 6, 1996.