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In power distribution networks the load varies within any given time frame. It may, therefore, seem that a good approach to reduce losses would be the solving of a network reconfiguration problem to suit each of the significant load variations. However, frequent changes in configuration can trigger outages or cause transient problems; they are best avoided. A recent formulation of this problem explicitly considers load variations and proposes to restrain frequent reconfigurations by assuming that network topologies will remain unchanged for a given planning period. This formulation leads to a much larger optimization problem than that traditionally used for network reconfiguration; moreover, it requires a new approach to optimization which is capable of dealing with energy flows instead of only instantaneous power flows. Such an approach is proposed in this paper, which discusses the design of an adaptive hybrid genetic algorithm that fulfills these new requirements. Key concepts in evolutionary computation and analysis of distribution systems are explored to develop this new algorithm. Application to real case studies certifies its benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]