How To Keep Your Hydro Bills Down During A Heatwave
Posted July 31, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Mother Nature has turned up the heat and you know what that means – you’re turning up both the air conditioning and the amount of money you spend to keep your home or office cool.
The next few weeks are traditionally the hottest of the year and with temperatures soaring into the 30s – and humidex values well beyond that – over the foreseeable future, expect the heat to be on in the hunt for savings.
Before the infamous blackout from the summer of 2003, energy conservation wasn’t exactly a hot topic in the GTA, but now it’s hotter than ever, and this week that’s with especially good reason.
Three nuclear units of the Pickering power plant which power part of the city are down, and if they’re not fixed by the end of the week, that dark day in Toronto history could be repeating itself this August.
So how can you do your part? Well, setting your home or office thermostat at 25 is a good rule of thumb and run major appliances like washers, dryers, dish washers and watering systems after 8pm.
And there’s no excuse not to try. Even big business like Loblaws supermarkets are getting in on the act, lowering the lights and dropping the AC for large parts of the shopping day.
“We turn it down by about 50 per cent and you can still feel it’s quite comfortable, especially relative to outside,” said Elizabeth Margles, Loblaws V.P. Public Relations.
And it’s exactly that sort of initiative that will ensure another blackout or several long and inconvenient brownouts won’t occur, but just remember, it all starts with you.
Here are some suggestions from Toronto Hydro and the City of Toronto that could prove to be powerful for your wallet.
Your Home
Reduce your air conditioning demand. Turing up the temperature just 1 degree to about 26 Celsius can lower your bill by five percent.
Keep the house sealed up during the hot days, and air your place out at night if there’s a cool evening breeze. That way you’ll only have to use the a/c sparingly.
Don’t block your a/c vents with drapes. Close off vents in rooms you don’t want air conditioned.
Make sure you change your air filter in your furnace or air conditioner every few months. Dust can build up making your machine work harder and costing you more cool cash.
Try to install your air conditioner in a shaded area. An air conditioner exposed to direct sunlight will consume 5 percent more energy than one that’s shaded.
Install a ceiling fan and use it instead of your power hungry a/c. A 60 watt fan costs less than $1 to operate monthly, while an air conditioner can cost between $26 and $178 a month.
Close the drapes. Keeping the sun’s blazing rays out can keep your home from heating up.
Plant a tree. Trees planted on the south and west sides of your abode can also keep the heat down.
Planning on sprucing up the exterior of your home? Use light-coloured paints. This reduces the amount of solar heat your home absorbs.
Avoid using heat-producing appliances, like ovens and dishwashers, during the hottest part of the day. Use your microwave oven or barbecue instead of your stove or have a cold meal.
Set your pool heater thermostat back 3C and save 20 percent in energy costs.
Consider replacing old energy wasting appliances with new greener models. The Ontario government offers substantial rebates for those who do. Find out more here. And the federal government has an energy rebate program of its own. Details on that can be found here.
Businesses
Eliminate unnecessary use of cooling systems in off-hours.
Raise space temperature by two to four degrees in rotating zones of floors of buildings for 10 to 15-minute periods during the summer months.
Reduce the availability of hot water in the building.
When possible, allow cool air into the buildings through windows and doorways during the summer.
Turn off lights that aren’t necessary for safety and security.
Power up printers, computers or scanners only when you need them.
Reduce the numbers of elevators and escalators that are in service.
Don’t leave the door to your business open as an incentive for customers to come in. It doesn’t really work, it wastes energy and it costs you a small fortune.
Install energy efficient compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) which provide the same lighting level and warmer, more-comfortable lighting colour than standard incandescent light bulbs at a fraction of the cost.
Installing occupancy sensors and dimmers in break rooms, restrooms and conference rooms can reduce lighting costs up to 40 percent.
Install a programmable thermostat to automatically control temperature settings and save 10 to 70 percent on heating and cooling costs.
Increase the efficiency of cooling systems by preventing heat gain with insulation, weather-stripping around doors, and shades, awnings or tinting over windows.
Keep computers on standby. Depending on the kind of business you run, computers are only used an average of 10 percent of the time they’re turned on.
Consider using ink-jet printers which consume less energy than laser printers.
Use energy smart power strips that sense when equipment isn’t in use.
Other Resources
How much does air conditioning really cost you?
Standby Power – how much does it really cost you?
Energy Guide for Small Businesses
List of energy saving government rebate plans
To check the latest power demand, click here.
