Heat sparks hydro record

TORONTO, ONTARIO - Soaring temperatures on the second consecutive day of an extreme heat alert led to record levels of energy consumption across Ontario, fuelled primarily by demand from the GTA.

The temperature dropped to 27C on the evening of July 31, setting a new nighttime heat record for the city of Toronto.

The high reached on August 1 was an uncomfortable 36C (96.8F). Factor in humidity, or what it felt like to the average person, and the humidex was a sweltering 46C.

It all peaked at around 5 p.m. when the Independent Electricity System Operator said 27,005 megawatts of electricity was used. That's almost 1,000 megawatts more than was consumed during a similar heat wave a year ago.

While a growing economy and population may have played a role in increased energy consumption, said spokesperson Terry Young, the main culprit remains the growing use of air conditioners.But despite some initial apprehension, including an alert sent out to reduce energy consumption during the day, the power grid held and fears of rolling blackouts didn't materialize, Young said.

"Everything worked the way it should," Young said. "We had good supply from our generators, there was good co-ordination from our neighbours in Quebec, Michigan and New York.

"There was unprecedented levels of demand, but everything worked as it should to meet that demand."

Premier Dalton McGuinty, who has come under fire from both opposition parties for what they see as mishandling of the province's energy needs, was clearly relieved.

The Progressive Conservatives think the government is moving too quickly to close coal-fired generating plants and the NDP think the government is needlessly planning on building expensive new nuclear plants when it could reduce need through better conservation policies.

"If everybody contributes (to conservation), we will be able to manage," McGuinty said, calling growing energy consumption "one of the challenges of a growing economy and growing population."

An anticipated high of 32C for August 2 is expected to bring another day of peak levels.

While record consumption levels were smashed province-wide, peak levels of demand in Toronto reached 5,001 megawatts around 5 p.m. — about 4 megawatts less than was used a year ago.

One key reason was that mid-afternoon Toronto Hydro activated its Peak Saver program for homes. Households that signed up automatically have the temperatures on their thermostats raised slightly and no one is the wiser.

At least 5,000 of the 11,000 homes that have signed up for the program saved about 16 megawatts of energy that way.

"That along with Torontonians really making an effort to conserve energy made the difference," said Toronto Hydro spokesperson Thelma Hatzis.

Across the GTA, people did what they had to cope.

"You gotta stop and take a break or you could just drop dead," said Andrea Legarde, a courier who stopped into the Metro Hall cooling centre for a break.

"I've only been here for five minutes and I already feel better."

At Etobicoke General Hospital, even the surgeons had to take a break — the air conditioning was cranked so high that excess moisture in the operating rooms forced doctors to cancel some elective surgeries, said Dawn Dunn, the hospital's manager of communications.

"We did two-thirds of our elective surgeries today," she said. "But everything has been corrected and we're preparing for a normal surgery schedule (today)."

Environment Canada's spokesman David Phillips said "it takes a lot to make me shake my head about the weather. But it's never been this hot at night in Toronto."

The normal nighttime low for late summer should be 17 degrees — 10 fewer than last night's temperature, he said.

We're still nowhere near Toronto's record daytime high of 41.1 C, set in July of 1936.

Still, said Phillips, people should understand rising nighttime temperatures are one of the telltale signs of global warming.

City officials are encouraging people to also stop in at Toronto's 99 libraries and 81 community centres for breaks during the daytime. But only a few of the 50 chairs at the Metro Hall cooling centre were filled.

Michelle Flynn, an EMS paramedic who stopped in at Metro Hall for a routine check, was surprised there weren't more people taking advantage of the cool space.

"It's really friggin' hot out there," she said. "Some people are really uneducated about how damaging the heat can be."

Flynn has been dealing with cases of dizziness and nausea. Most are elderly people stuck at home with no air conditioning or fans and don't know how to beat the heat alone.

"We're certainly warning seniors who come into our clinic and our residents about the heat," said Kelly Connelly, a public affairs spokesperson for the Baycrest Day Care for Seniors Centre.

"We're also warning families who come to visit their loved ones that it's not safe to take them outside. We have signs at all our entrances saying that there's a heat alert."

Gilbert Heffern, a spokesman for the Ontario Long-Term Care Association, said most nursing homes — even those without air conditioning — should be well prepared to deal with the weather.

"There are hot weather guidelines from the Ministry of Health that all the homes have to follow."

Planning indoor activities and making sure seniors remember to stay hydrated are the top two, says Heffern.

Some went to the movies to cool off.

One girl fanned her flushed cheeks while ordering two tickets to a matinee at the Paramount Theatre at John and Richmond Sts.

"Oh wait, that movie's too long," she said to her friend.

"Yeah, but it's three hours of guaranteed cool," he said, paying for the tickets.

Even the animals at the Toronto Zoo would do anything to get a break from the oppressive sun.

Christina Shipley, a zoo spokesperson, said trainers are taking extra precautions to make sure the animals are healthy. Trainers have even prepared treats to keep the bears happy.

"We have icicles that we've frozen fruit to that we stick in their pond," said Maria Franke, curator of mammals.

"They're like kids having a popsicle on a hot day."

Shipley is careful to point out that for many animals, the heat just isn't a problem.

"The elephants are African so it doesn't bother them," she said. "A lot of the animals really enjoy it."