Thunder Bay Hydro is challenging its customers to conserve.
On Wednesday the public utility asked families to Turn Over a New Leaf, asking Thunder Bay residents to cut back energy use by five per cent and take the saveONenergy power pledge with a chance to win an energy-efficient washer and dryer set.
The announcement coincided with the unveiling of the company’s new Nissan Leaf, the first all-electric five-seat car to hit the road in Northwestern Ontario.
Tim Wilson, Thunder Bay Hydro’s vice-president of customer service and conservation, said the family who conserves the most will win.
“We’re asking them to take a look around the home. There are two or three simple easy things they can do, and then dig a little bit deeper,” Wilson said.
“When you start digging a little deeper you can find there are other opportunities within the home, if you just take the time to walk around to look.”
He pointed to his own household, where he’s got both his television and home theatre amp hooked up to a power bar, which each night gets switched off before heading to bed to avoid phantom power charges. Switching off lights, turning down thermostats or allowing air conditioners to run at slightly higher temperatures are also good places to start, he said.
Altering electrical use to conform with the lowest time-of-use energy rates is another way to conserve, Wilson pointed out. For example, he said, doing laundry at night, when off-peak prices apply, helps cut costs dramatically.
“What we want to do is challenge Thunder Bay families that not caring is not what we want,” Wilson said. “We want them to wisely use energy. Five per cent is a good number for us, to say why don’t you go around your house and see what you can do with that five per cent.”
Monetarily, the five per cent savings won’t amount to huge dollar drops on the average residential power bill, he said.
The average homeowner in Ontario uses about 800 kilowatt hours of electricity each month.
“In Thunder Bay we’re asking can you reduce it by 40 kilowatt hours a month, which is not a lot,” Wilson said.
Thunder Bay Hydro’s Jake Allen said there are plenty of programs in place to help consumers conserve even more.
“There’s some for residential programs,” he said.
“We have a fridge/freezer pick up program that you can take advantage of. There are heating and cooling incentives, so if you’re thinking about upgrading a heating or cooling system, we have participating contractors who can help you out with that. Just check out our website. There are also business programs as well.”
As for the new car in the fleet, Wilson said it was a great fit for the utility.
“We’re more than happy to be the first one in Northwestern Ontario to have an all-electric vehicle. We’ll be using it to promote our Turn Over a New Leaf program. We’ll be using it for site visits to our customers as we audit them on conservation programs they participate in, (including) our direct install lighting, and for other opportunities throughout the city,” Wilson said.
“It’s a good win for us to be able to put a 100 per cent electric vehicle on the road here in Thunder Bay and study it a little bit and see what the impact is on our distribution system.
According to Rob Mace, president and CEO of Thunder Bay Hydro, the car can run for about 180 kilometres when fully charged, though it also creates its own energy when the brake pedal is pushed, extending its range.
