Cold weather adds to the load: how frost and power cuts affect electricity consumption
13 January 15:03
ANALYSIS FROM 
Cold winter weather traditionally affects electricity consumption in Ukraine, but this year the situation is further complicated by power outages. Energy expert Gennady Ryabtsev commented exclusively to "Komersant Ukrainian" on the change in load on the power system during cold spells.
Frosts cause an increase in electricity consumption
According to him, under normal conditions, low temperatures automatically lead to an increase in consumption.
“If there were no power outages, such weather would contribute to an overall increase of 3-5%,” the expert notes.
The highest load is recorded during prolonged cold spells: when the temperature drops to minus 10-15 degrees, consumption usually increases within this range, and in even colder weather, it can reach 7%.
This trend is confirmed by official data. Ryabtsev points out that “this is basically reflected by Ukrenergo when comparing electricity consumption volumes on individual days.” In particular, the transmission system operator reported that on one of the days, consumption was 3.2% higher than a week earlier. As the expert clarifies, “this applies to cold spells.”
Why bills increase during power outages
At the same time, power outages make their own adjustments to the overall picture.
Paradoxically, in the absence of light, the overall load can remain high. The reason is the widespread use of batteries and power banks.
“It takes more energy to charge power banks because their efficiency is far from 100%,” the expert explains. As a result, more energy is consumed than is directly used, which creates an additional load on the system.
“Why, in fact, is there no light, but consumption is high… The fact is that charging power banks requires more energy. This is because their efficiency is far from 100%. And when we charge all these batteries and everything else, we consume more energy than when they give us that energy,” the expert concluded.
Night strike on Ukraine
We will remind you that during the night attack, Russian troops launched nearly 300 drones and dozens of missiles of various types at Ukraine. Most of the enemy targets were destroyed by air defense forces.
At around 2:00 a.m., Kyiv was attacked with ballistic missiles, and explosions were heard in the city. Later, in the early morning, the city was again subjected to rocket fire.
Kharkiv, Odesa, and Kryvyi Rih also came under enemy fire that night.
Also, according to DTEK, Russian troops attacked a thermal power plant again last night, significantly damaging the equipment.
The Ministry of Energy reported that the occupiers attacked energy facilities in a number of regions during the night, resulting in power outages in the capital and seven regions.
Incidentally, the situation in Kyiv is critical: there is not enough electricity even for critical facilities.
