Ontario to spend extra 400 million to save power

That's the message from the Ontario government, which yesterday announced the energy-starved province will spend an extra $400 million over the next three years on conserving electricity.

"Dollar for dollar, if you can save a kilowatt (of power) it's cheaper than building a kilowatt, so every megawatt we save in total saves us money," said Energy Minister Dwight Duncan, noting there could also be additional funds for conservation.

Duncan has ordered the Ontario Power Authority to give the province's local electricity distribution companies, such as Toronto Hydro, $400 million toward conservation initiatives over the next three years. That's over and above the $163 million originally handed out to the local utilities.

The new funding means a total of up to $2 billion will be spent on conservation efforts, including encouraging the replacement of incandescent lights with more efficient fluorescent lights, scrapping old beer fridges that guzzle electricity, and urging homeowners not to crank up their air conditioners.

As previously reported by the Star, Toronto Hydro's new 10/10 Program, for example, offers a 10 per cent discount on electricity bills for households that reduce their power use by 10 per cent between tomorrow and Sept. 15.

Anyone whose consumption drops by that amount compared with the same period last year will be rewarded with a credit in the fall.

Anthony Haines, the utility's chief administrative officer, said Toronto Hydro wants to "trigger a massive consumer reaction" by making it pay to conserve power.

Peter Love, Ontario's chief energy conservation officer, said the investment is "a good start."

Love, who also launched a "doors-closed" program to encourage businesses to keep their front doors closed while the air conditioning is on, said everyone has to pitch in.

But NDP MPP Peter Tabuns (Toronto-Danforth) said the Liberals are spending "far too little" on conservation considering its plan to earmark $40 billion for new nuclear reactors.

"They're spending $1 for conservation for every $20 they spend for nuclear power. It shows their priorities are backwards," said Tabuns.