news
September 22, 2008
Why Join Team Power Smart? Because it matters
Posted by Rob Klovance
On my list of 10 things to do before I die, sandwiched between entries about trekking to Machu Picchu and having a drink with Scarlett Johansson, is the item: “Do something to help save the planet”. And that’s how I find myself at bchydro.com, fighting what I’m convinced is the good fight.
I’m not kidding myself. There are more noble green causes out there, but in this neck of the woods, I figure BC Hydro’s ambitious mandate of offsetting 50% of new electricity demand through conservation by 2020 amounts to a worthy cause.
Just what is this 2020 target about? Well, as directed by the B.C. Government through the BC Energy Plan, BC Hydro must ensure that half the new electricity demand in this province is eliminated through conservation measures.
That doesn’t mean that electricity demand in this province won’t grow. The idea is to slow that growth to the point that we’re able to maintain and enhance our reliability on made-in-B.C., largely clean and renewable power.
And that strikes me as a good idea. The amount of CO2 associated with hydroelectric generation is a small fraction of the carbon produced through coal and fossil-fuel powered generation. But there have been years, recently, in which B.C. has imported as much as 15% from our neighbours to the east and south - much of it “dirty” power – to meet the demands of this province.
One of the challenges we face at BC Hydro is the fact that, compared to most other places in North America, our electricity is both clean and affordable. It’s harder to convince people to save electricity when the average monthly residential electricity bill in this province is $60. For many B.C. drivers, that’s less than what it costs to fill up a gas tank.
That’s why BC Hydro has introduced, as of October 1, the conservation rate, a two-step rate structure that will raise the price of electricity for those who use more than 1,350 kilowatt hours of electricity in a two-month period. For 70% of us, that means our annual electricity spend should either stay the same or go down. But it should be a wake-up call to us all and help push us toward conservation.
This fall, we’re renewing our Team Power Smart campaign by urging British Columbians to commit to a 10% electricity reduction target. We’re making it easier for people to get energy-saving tips and related information online through our new Power Smart Green Guides and we’re expanding conservation content to include tips beyond electricity conservation.
Not convinced? If 100,000 B.C. households cut consumption by 10% in the next year, the electricity saved – 10,992,000 kilowatt hours – would be enough to power 10,000 homes for a year.
Rob Klovance is managing editor of bchydro.com.
Source: BC Hydro
