By Veronica Beltran

crankin up the heat

BC Hydro reaches new record of electricity consumption

Jan 14, 2020 | 11:31 AM

VANCOUVER–The recent cold weather created a new record for the highest peak hourly demand for electricity, according to BC Hydro.

The record for the hour that customers use the most electricity was reached on Jan.13, 2020 when consumption was calculated to have reached 10,302 megawatts.

The previous record was set back in 2017 on Jan.3rd when peak electricity reached 10,194 megawatts.

In a release, BC Hydro says they expect a high demand for electricity over the next several days as cold temperatures remain across the province.

BC Hydro is expecting peak loads between 9,800 and 10,600 megawatts in the coming days.

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Weekday evenings are when electricity is at its highest demand, according to BC Hydro, seeing that that is when British Columbians return home from a day of work and begin evening activities such as laundry, dinner etc.

Residential electricity can increase, on average, by 88 percent in the colder, darker, winter months, which can lead to a higher heating bill.

Tips to reduce electricity use during the winter:

• setting thermostat at an ideal temperature based on time of day can help reduce wasted electricity
• avoid cranking up the thermostat. This does not heat your home up faster, than turning it up a degree or two at a time.
• Draftproofing around windows and doors to avoid heat loss (reduces heat loss by 10%)