What Is Causing El Paso’s Record Energy Consumption? Here’s What El Paso Electric Says

We have had a long streak of 100 degree weather, it’s the third longest on record, and it has resulted in another record. El Paso Electric says all that heat has caused record energy consumption, and the possibility of rolling blackouts because of increased strain on their equipment and systems.

Along with the heat, the city is growing at almost 2 percent each year, and a lot of El Paso homes are switching from the traditional swamp coolers to refrigerated air. One heating and cooling company said it is rare for them to do any evaporative cooler installations, and that most of their customers go for refrigerated air even thought they use three times the electricity on average.

And if you remember evaporative coolers working better when you were younger, you’re probably right.

The dew point - or amount of moisture in the air - has increased by nearly 4 degrees since 1970.

That increase in humidity makes swamp coolers less efficient and your house more uncomfortable, and that, experts say, is also leading to more people using refrigerated air, and in turn, using more electricity.