The Impact of Thanksgiving Cooking on the Grid

Leading up to Thanksgiving, energy consumption throughout November generally follows predictable patterns shaped by people’s daily routines. These patterns create a consistent rhythm on the electric grid, allowing utilities to anticipate when demand will rise and fall. However, on Thanksgiving Day, this familiar rhythm is disrupted. Instead of the usual sharp rise in demand around 7 a.m.., the grid experiences its first major increase closer to 10 a.m., when many households begin the process of cooking turkeys and preparing multiple dishes. This coordinated shift in household behavior causes demand to continue rising through the late morning and reach its highest point around midday, when ovens and other appliances are operating simultaneously in millions of homes.

Once cooking winds down and families gather for the meal, energy use begins to drop sharply and then stays at a relatively stable level for the remainder of the day. As a result, Thanksgiving transforms the grid’s typical two smaller daily peaks one in the morning and one in the early evening into a single, more pronounced midday peak driven by synchronized cooking.

This surge in energy use contributes to what is known as peak power, or the highest level of electricity consumed in a region during a specific time period. Holidays often create temporary but significant spikes in demand because so many households deviate from their normal routines in similar ways. Meeting these short bursts of high demand is complex, and utilities must ensure that there is enough available generation to keep the grid stable all while continuing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These challenges require careful planning long before the holiday arrives.

Although Thanksgiving does not typically produce record-breaking electricity use, it still exerts a noticeable influence on peak demand. Higher usage can drive up wholesale electricity prices, and utilities must have sufficient infrastructure to meet these brief but intense periods of consumption. Overall, these short-lived holiday peaks highlight how quickly system conditions can change based on the daily activities of energy consumers.

¹ Peak Electricity Hours: How to Save Money with Smart Energy Timing (Residential Solar Panels, 2021).

² What is Peak Power? (PK Nergy Power, 2025).