B.C. Residents Used a Lot More Electricity to Deal With the Heat Wave

Record temperatures were shattered across the province on Saturday and Sunday, and with the heat came a lot more energy use.

People trying to keep cool during the heat wave had a definite impact on electricity demand, says BC Hydro. On Saturday night, the company recorded a 15 per cent increase in the peak hourly load compared to Saturday last week. The peak hourly load refers to the highest hourly demand throughout the day, and it was 861 megawatts higher than the Saturday before.

Sunday also saw more electricity use, with an increase of 10 per cent, or 617 megawatts, in the peak hourly load compared to the previous Sunday.

“The increases are more than the equivalent of running an additional generating unit at the Mica dam and generating station – one of the largest generating stations in the province,” says BC Hydro.

The company is expecting the higher electricity demand to continue throughout the week as temperatures continue to be high in B.C.

Though they’ve seen significant increases with the heat wave, the highest demand for electricity is still recorded in the winter. B.C. is different from California and Ontario in this respect, where the highest peaks are during the summer because of widespread air conditioning use.

BC Hydro recommends the following tips to save money as the heat wave continues:

• Keep the blinds down: shade your windows and block up to 65 per cent of the heat.
• Use a ceiling fan: ceiling fans are the most efficient option for cooling. Ensure the fan is rotating counter-clockwise.
• Keep the clothes dryer off: hang your laundry to dry and avoid the clothes dryer to keep unnecessary heat out of your house.
• Cook outside: use the barbeque to cook outside to reduce the use of your stove or oven.
• Take shorter, cooler showers.

You can learn more about keeping yourself cool and avoiding heat stroke here.