ATLANTA – For the second time in one week, Southern Company set a new system peak demand record for electricity use. On Friday, Aug. 4, preliminary peak demand for electricity averaged approximately 37,886 megawatts between 3 and 4 p.m. Eastern Time.

Friday’s record is 126 megawatts higher than the previous peak record of 37,760 megawatts set just two days before, on Wednesday, Aug. 2. Prior to last week, the all-time system record was 37,734 megawatts of electricity, set July 26, 2005.With high temperatures continuing across the Southeast, the potential exists for additional demand records to be set later this summer.

With 4.3 million customers and more than 40,000 megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is the premier energy company serving the Southeast, one of America’s fastest-growing regions. A leading U.S. producer of electricity, Southern Company owns electric utilities in four states and a growing competitive generation company, as well as fiber optics and wireless communications. Southern Company brands are known for excellent customer service, high reliability and retail electric prices that are significantly below the national average. Southern Company has received the highest ranking in customer satisfaction among U.S. electric service providers for seven consecutive years by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).