CHARLOTTE — Over the past few days, customers served by various Duke Energy companies have set all-time records for winter power use.

During the extreme weather event, the company asked for and received conservation from commercial, industrial and residential customers to help ease the burden on the utility system.

“Despite the challenges of the extremely cold weather, our system has responded well – especially since we have broken usage marks that have stood for as long as five years,” said Nelson Peeler, vice president, system operations.

Altogether, four Duke Energy companies set new winter peak records.

For Duke Energy Indiana, a new winter usage peak of 7,214 megawatt-hours was set Monday in the hour ending at 5 p.m. That exceeded the previous record of 6,975 megawatt-hours set on Jan. 15, 2009.

For Duke Energy Ohio/Kentucky, a new winter usage peak of 5,105 megawatt-hours was set Monday in the hour ending at 5 p.m. That exceeded the previous winter record of 4,599 megawatt-hours set on Jan. 16, 2009.

For Duke Energy Carolinas, a new winter usage peak of 20,246 megawatt-hours was set Tuesday in the hour ending at 8 a.m. That exceeded the previous winter record of 18,985 megawatt-hours set on Dec. 15, 2010.

For Duke Energy Progress, a new winter usage peak of 14,190 megawatt-hours was set Tuesday in the hour ending at 8 a.m. That exceeded the previous winter record of 13,884 megawatt-hours set on Jan. 11, 2010.

Today, Duke Energy system operators are closely monitoring the electric system and there is an adequate supply of electricity to meet demand.

“Energy usage is lower than we anticipated this morning, and that’s great news. Because of our customers’ willingness to make minor changes in their daily routines yesterday, we were able to keep power flowing during this historic winter event, “ Peeler said.

In this video, Duke Energy thanks customers for conservation efforts and explains the energy usage trend over the past 48 hours.