In response to the big arctic freeze across the Pacific Northwest, Bellevue, WA-based Puget Sound Energy reported Tuesday an all-time record natural gas send-out of 716 MMcf last Sunday, and a near-record electricity send-out of 4,540 MW Monday in its territory in western Washington, surrounding the greater Seattle metropolitan area.

The Puget Energy combination utility serves 636,000 natural gas customers in six counties and 972,000 electric users in nine counties. The previous all-time gas mark was 678 MMcf on Dec. 21, 1998; and the biggest power use is still 4,847 MW on the same date in 1998.

“The colder temperatures of the last several days resulted in greater energy use and will mean higher than normal bills next month,” the utility’s customer services director said. She stressed that customers needed to be alerted more to the prospect of higher bills because the previous two winters have been relatively mild.

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