Energy conservation key as the cold hikes demand

TORONTO - - While a massive summer blackout stunned Ontario residents into conserving electricity last August, it seems they've largely returned to complacency.

But even though Ontario may now have an adequate supply of energy, people should still conserve, said Terry Young, a spokesman for the Independent Electricity Market Operator. Young said people use more electricity during extremely frigid days like the ones during the recent cold snap that gripped much of the province.

"If you can adjust your temperature on your thermostat, if you can reduce some of the lighting that you don't need in your house, then that's going to mean that you are using less electricity than you normally would," said Young.

"And certainly that's going to help out when you get your electricity bill because it could be lower than it otherwise would be."

Young said right after the massive Aug. 14 blackout, the province's residents made an effort to conserve electricity.

"We did see a lot of people who were conserving, who were cutting back (and) who were also shifting their electricity use to what we call 'off-peak hours' after eight o'clock at night," he said.

But he added since then, most have slipped back into their old habits because they don't see much incentive to conserve.

Peter Love, executive director of the Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance, agrees.

But he said that "the good news is everyone in Ontario in all sectors showed they were prepared to respond" on an urgent request to cut back on electricity use after the blackout.

With an electricity price hike taking effect in April, it could encourage Ontario's residents to start conserving power again.

Young said there will be a lower price for the first 750 kilowatt hours a month. "Then the price will climb after that, so there is going to be an incentive for people to reduce their electricity use."

Love said: "We're beginning to wake up to that and the cost of electricity has been very, very inexpensive in Ontario for far too long."

"So if something's valued inexpensively, you assume it's cheap and plentiful and that's not the case with electricity," he added.