Dave Mosure, Community Relations Coordinator for BC Hydro said during a typical winter they record the highest electrical demand between 4 and 8 on weekday evenings.
But since the beginning of the pandemic, Mosure said they’ve been seeing slightly earlier evening peaks and they do have enough power to get through that and the extreme overnight low temperatures.
“We also have a team of engineers in place that monitor the loads and track weather patterns. In BC we’re also very fortunate to have a flexible hydroelectric system that allows us to ramp up quickly if we need more power and as a last resort, we can import power as required.”
Mosure added to help keep electrical bills down to set your thermostat to 16 degrees Celcius when you’re away from home or sleeping, and 21 when you’re relaxing watching tv 18 degrees Celcius when you’re cooking or moving around doing housework.
“Programmable thermostats can make these adjustments automatically,” Mosure said, “Smart thermostats such as the Nest will even learn your behavior and adjust automatically and can also be controlled by an app on a smartphone or by a smart speaker.”
Mosure added it’s also important to keep the heat inside the house this time of year and draft proving is a simple and cost-effective way to improve a home’s energy efficiency.
Gaps and cracks around windows and doors allow cold air in, sealing these up can save up to $100 on
a household’s electricity cost during the fall and winter months.
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