Area utilities are bracing for a second day of increased electricity demand as the temperature hit 100 degrees.
PECO is reporting small, scattered outages throughout its service area.
"Our system is holding up remarkably well," said company spokeswoman Karen Muldoon Geus.
She said the utility recorded its third highest peak demand of 8,832 mega watts on Tuesday and that it could experience a new record today.
The current high for peak demand of 8,932 megawatts was set on Aug. 3, 2006.
"Typically the peek is around 5 o'clock in the afternoon," she said. "Today could possibly be highest day of peak load"
Atlantic City Electric reported minor outages in South Jersey while PSE&G said most of its 6,500 customers without power were in North Jersey.
PSE&G said its peak demand for electricity Tuesday was 10,804 megawatts at 5 p.m.
That is the high for this summer but short of the record of 11,108 megawatts, set on Aug. 2, 2006.
Despite PECO's performance claims, one couple say they are not happy with the utilities response to their outage.
Market researcher Chuck White, 32, and his pregnant wife, Theresa lost power in their Abington home about 5 yesterday afternoon.
White said it came back sporadically a few hours later, returned at partial power early this morning and went out completely again about 11 a.m.
Despite a series of calls to PECO, he hasn't gotten clear explanations or fulfilled promises, said White, who went for five days without power after a June 2008 electrical storm.
"What really bothers me is turning on the radio on the drive in and having PECO spokespeople telling what a good job they're doing handling the load," he said.
PSE&G offers the following tips for conserving electricity:
Turn off everything you're not using; lights, TVs, computers, etc. Use dimmers, timers and motion detectors on indoor and outdoor lighting.
Close blinds, shades and draperies facing the sun to keep the sun's heat out and help fans and air conditioners cool more efficiently.
Close doors leading to uncooled parts of your home. With central air, close off vents to unused rooms.
Delay heat-producing tasks such as washing and drying laundry or dishes until later in the day, and wait until load is full.
Refrain from using nonessential appliances. Unplug or use only when necessary an extra refrigerator in your garage. Also, customers should consider setting their air conditioners to 78 degrees, health permitting.
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