# U.S. electricity demand pressure | PIER20 benchmarks How far is seven-day average US48 electricity demand from its five-year seasonal norm? This page shows seven-day average US48 electricity demand. The EIA-930 'US48' aggregate respondent (electricity/rto daily-region-data). Each week is compared to the same week in the five full years before that week. The chart shows the five-year seasonal average only. It does not show a min or max range. A reading above the five-year average is high for the season. A reading below is low for the season. Demand peaks in summer heat waves and winter cold snaps, with a mild spring and autumn trough. This is a seasonal gauge. It is not a price forecast. As of **10 Aug 2026**, the latest readings are U.S.-48 demand (7-day avg) at **14507.53 Gigawatthours** and Five-year average at **13340.05 Gigawatthours**. The U.S.-48 demand (7-day avg) line is up 7.4% over the past year and above its long-run median of 10966.53 Gigawatthours. ## Summary statistics (full history) | Series | First | Latest | Min | Max | |---|---|---|---|---| | U.S.-48 demand (7-day avg) | 10474.09 | 14507.53 | 8953.51 | 14677.72 | | Five-year average | | 13340.05 | 9342.37 | 13628.64 | ## Last 24 readings | Date | U.S.-48 demand (7-day avg) | Five-year average | |---|---|---| | Jul 2026 | 14433.13 | 13544.31 | | Jul 2026 | 14479.33 | 13544.31 | | Jul 2026 | 14531.30 | 13628.64 | | Jul 2026 | 14577.59 | 13628.64 | | Jul 2026 | 14492.10 | 13628.64 | | Jul 2026 | 14334.46 | 13628.64 | | Jul 2026 | 14213.56 | 13628.64 | | Jul 2026 | 14122.78 | 13628.64 | | Jul 2026 | 14157.80 | 13628.64 | | Jul 2026 | 14229.63 | 13566.11 | | Jul 2026 | 14206.30 | 13566.11 | | Jul 2026 | 14220.38 | 13566.11 | | Jul 2026 | 14299.63 | 13566.11 | | Jul 2026 | 14385.58 | 13566.11 | | Aug 2026 | 14405.56 | 13566.11 | | Aug 2026 | 14319.49 | 13566.11 | | Aug 2026 | 14206.92 | 13443.49 | | Aug 2026 | 14110.24 | 13443.49 | | Aug 2026 | 14082.81 | 13443.49 | | Aug 2026 | 14127.84 | 13443.49 | | Aug 2026 | 14187.86 | 13443.49 | | Aug 2026 | 14273.49 | 13443.49 | | Aug 2026 | 14393.06 | 13443.49 | | Aug 2026 | 14507.53 | 13340.05 | ## How to read this benchmark **What a high or low reading means.** Electricity demand is the load the grid must serve, and its seasonal band captures the climate pattern: summer cooling and winter heating peaks. A reading above the band means weather or economic activity is pulling load beyond the historical pattern. The configuration that tightens wholesale power prices and, for a grid near capacity, raises outage risk. The seven-day average smooths the daily weekend/weekday sawtooth; heat waves show up as the band is breached and stay visible for the week. **Why the five-year same-week average as the comparator.** Energy series move with the calendar year. A raw level cannot say if the market is tight or slack. This page ranks each week against the same week in the five full years before it. A July reading is judged against prior Julys, not against the full year. The baseline uses only earlier years. The current year never enters its own baseline. The rule allows one week of tolerance when holidays shift the report week. **How the seasonal lines are built.** For each date, the reference is the same EIA week number (plus or minus one week) in the five full calendar years before it. Each reference year adds one value (the mean of its tolerated observations). The five-year average uses those yearly values. This page plots the average only. The average line starts once a five-year window exists and rolls forward. **Limitations.** The five-year average moves as history rolls forward. Source revisions can move history. US48 electricity demand is one input to the market balance. Prices also move on the weekly surprise versus expectations, not on the level alone. Treat the chart as context for supply and demand conditions, not investment advice. ## How this benchmark is used **The heat-wave severity gauge.** Grid operators and power desks read demand against the seasonal norm to size peak-load events: the 2023 and 2024 summer records each showed up as multi-day breaches of the five-year band before the market had official load records. The same construction is how ISO-NE and ERCOT frame 'above-normal demand' in their seasonal outlooks. **Same-week seasonal average.** This page uses a same-week rule over five full prior years. It allows one week of tolerance. The current year is excluded. It plots the seasonal average only. Compare the reading to the average line, not to a min or max range. ## Frequently asked questions **What is the current U.S. electricity demand pressure?** As of 10 Aug 2026, the latest readings are U.S.-48 demand (7-day avg) at 14507.53 Gigawatthours and Five-year average at 13340.05 Gigawatthours. The U.S.-48 demand (7-day avg) line is up 7.4% over the past year and above its long-run median of 10966.53 Gigawatthours. **How often is this benchmark updated?** This benchmark is built on daily data. The page is refreshed when the source publishes new observations; the freshness block below the chart shows the exact data-through date and when PIER20 last fetched the file. **What data sources does this chart use?** The chart is built from U.S.-48 demand (7-day avg) and Five-year average, sourced from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). **What is the highest and lowest US48 electricity demand has reached?** The percentile cell ranks the latest reading against the full sample. The 100th percentile is the highest on record. The 0th is the lowest. This page charts the five-year seasonal average only. Read extremes from the full history and the percentile cell. **How is this different from electricity generation?** This page measures demand (load), not generation. Generation adds exports and grid losses on top of load, and the EIA-930 data separates the two. Demand pressure is the weather-and-economy signal; generation is the supply response. **Why does the five-year average only start five years into the history?** A baseline needs five full prior years of observations. The current year never enters its own baseline. The first five years of a series have no complete reference window. Earlier readings plot without a seasonal reference. ## Methodology - Formula: seasonalAverage(t) = mean of same EIA week (±1 week) in the five complete years before t - Frequency: Daily - Sources: U.S.-48 demand (7-day avg) (us48-demand) https://www.eia.gov/electricity/gridmonitor/; Five-year average (us48-demand#seasonalAvg) https://www.eia.gov/electricity/gridmonitor/. Data via the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). - Data through: 10 Aug 2026 - Last refreshed: 11 Aug 2026 Full interactive chart: https://pier20.com/benchmarks/us-electricity-demand-pressure Disclaimer: research software output, not investment advice.