Low temperatures translate into increased power use
Posted December 7, 2013 8:37 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – BC homeowners who use electricity to heat their homes will probably see an increase in their next hydro bills, thanks to this cold weather.
We’ve almost broken electricity consumption records.
On Friday between 5 and 6 p.m., British Columbians used up almost as much electricity as we did during a supper hour seven years ago, which was an all-time record breaking hour for BC Hydro.
To be exact, 10,028 megawatts was consumed during that hour on Friday, compared to 10,113 megawatts Nov. 29, 2006.
The utility’s Mora Scott explains what’s happening.
“We have people turning on their heat higher, and that means higher hydro consumption for people who use electric heat. You know the days are darker and shorter so we’re turning lights on earlier,” she says.
High demand at that time of day isn’t that surprising.
“Generally we do see higher electricity use on weekday evenings, between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. That’s because that’s when people get home, they turn up the heat, switch on their lights, flick on the TV and cook dinner.”
Consumption is expected to stay high through the weekend, although not peaking as high as a weekday supper hour.
Customers who don’t want a shock at bill time can look online at their day-to-day consumption through the MyHydro feature.
