From what I’ve heard, there are four main factors that have increased electricity use in the last few years (use was steady for quite a few years, thanks to things like LED bulbs and other efficient items). This is looking at overall usage, not peak or heavy demand periods:
In no particular order (but all in the same order of magnitude)
EV charging (but can easily be put off for short term for most users)
Data Centers for Crypto and AI
Increased industry brought back to US from foreign countries
Increase Air Conditioning use (on average; the main strain during heat waves for obvious reasons)
What I’ve not been able to find any data on is how usage should be adjusted for areas like NJ, where a very significant portion of the electricity comes from solar; much of it widely distributed (there are 3’x5’ solar panels on many of the utility poles) which means that the overall grid is less stressed due to power being generated right near the usage. I’m really not sure if running the dryer during mid-afternoon is better than late at night or not, nor how heat waves figure in (although I got totally caught up on laundry; won’t need to worry for a week or so).
I remember when it was easy (back in the 70s); if it could wait, do it at night. But with some areas having a lot of solar and/or wind, I have no idea if that is still the best idea or not. Of course, best to cut back whatever is possible, especially during times of excessive stress.
For the record, just the solar panels placed throughout NJ on utility poles are reported to replace two large generating stations; that’s not counting the many solar farms spread throughout the state.