Electrical demand is the amount of electricity that customers consume or wish to consume. The term “load” is sometimes used instead of demand.
Demand generally has two components: energy demand and peak demand. Energy demand is the amount of electrical energy customers consume, or wish to consume, and is measured in watt hours. Peak demand is the largest amount of electrical power required by customers at a point in time.
Demand (or load) forecasts are used to plan utility construction and operations. Peak demand forecasts allow utilities to plan for the maximum amount of load their customers will demand at any point in time. Energy demand forecasts allow utilities to plan for the best mix of generation and delivery to optimize reliability and cost.
Utilities usually forecast demand separately for different classes of customer, such as residential, commercial and industrial. Each class has its own usage characteristics with different implications for what the utility must do to serve them.
This illustration explains the key concepts of electricity.
BC Hydro electrical demand
In its 2021 integrated resource plan, BC Hydro, BC’s largest electrical utility, forecast energy demand of 63,323 GWh in fiscal year 2025, rising to 75,121 GWh in fiscal year 2040. The fiscal year 2025 energy demand includes:
- Residential: 20,763 GWh
- Commercial: 14,709 GWh
- Light-duty EV: 533 GWh
- Light industrial: 5,518 GWh
- Large industrial: 14,945 GWh
BC Hydro forecasts peak demand of 11,631 MW in fiscal year 2025, rising to 14,070 MW in fiscal year 2040. The peak demand served by BC Hydro’s facilities reached a record of 11,300 MW on January 12, 2024.
The average energy demand from a BC Hydro residential customer is 10,000 kWh per year. The peak demand from a single residential customer might be 10 kW.
FortisBC Inc. electrical demand
In its 2021 long-term electric resource plan, FortisBC Inc., which serves the southeast corner of BC, forecast energy demand of 3,717 GWh in 2021, growing to 4,983 GWh in 2040. Its winter peak demand forecast was 766 MW in 2021, growing to 1,060 MW in 2040.