On the temperature dependence of the load curve of the city of Zurich

This paper deals with the correlation between electricity consumption in the City of Zurich and outside temperature. The motivation is the significant increase of peak load during the summer months since the record summer of 2003. It can be expected that periods of high temperatures will become more frequent in the future. Furthermore a trend to rising energy consumption in summer can be observed. Therefore it is important for energy suppliers as well as distribution grid operators to analyze how and to what extent these high temperatures are affecting consumer behaviour. This contribution also gives valuable indications regarding: (1) Evolution of peak load in the future (2) Dimensioning of the distribution grid.