The first wave of Arctic temperatures has resulted in thousands of British Columbians turning on the heat more frequently.
Last week, the demand for a warm household almost went through the roof says BC Hydro spokesman Bob Gammer.
“We saw a peak of 9,345 megawatts; the [2006] record is just over 10,100, so it’s getting close due to this cold weather we’ve been having.”
Gammer says the spike in demand is expected to keep occurring at a certain time of day.
“We do record the highest demand in electricity during the winter and usually between 4PM and 8PM on weekday evenings. That’s when everybody comes home, turns on their heat, switches on the lights, does the laundry, makes dinner, that kind of thing.”
He suggests a list of simpler alternatives to reduce power intake and possibly save a couple of bucks.
“Consider installing a programmable thermostat to schedule specific times to have your heat on in the morning. Also consider putting on a sweater and unplugging unused electronics, and using a power bar to manage the stand-by power over a lot of electronics.”
Gammer says BC Hydro expects the number to go higher in the coming weeks as temperatures continue to drop.