Duke Energy customers set usage record in midst of heat wave

Duke Energy customers cranked up their air conditioners last week and set a record in the process.

The Charlotte-based utility said Monday that its customers across the Carolinas used 20,671 megawatt-hours of electricity between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. on July 27. That edged out the record of 20,628 megawatt-hours set on Aug. 7, 2007.

The all-time Duke Energy Carolinas record is 21,101 megawatt-hours, set on Feb. 20, 2015.

Last Wednesday, Charlotte recorded a high of 99 degrees, the hottest temperature for the month in North Carolina's largest city. The National Weather Service said there were 29 days where Charlotte's high temperatures reached or topped 90 degrees. 

In Greenville, South Carolina, the high on July 27 was 95 degrees