While New England remains a summer peaking electricity
system (with a forecasted 2018 summer peak around 25 percent higher than the forecasted 2018/2019 winter peak), winter peak forecasts are important for assessing the impacts of
electric system reliability during a period
when much of New England's energy infrastructure is dedicated to space heating (i.e.,
when interstate natural gas pipelines are used both for electricity generation and for heating homes and businesses).