Conservation Research Initiative

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Weekend baking part of Campbell River resident's off-peak hours plan

Campbell River's Bill Swanson is not only conserving electricity, but is also giving new meaning to the term saving dough.

"We bake all our own bread, so we switched baking to the weekends," said Swanson. "We make enough bread to last all week so we are not using the oven much during peak times."

Collectively, households that participated in the Conservation Research Initiative in Campbell River reduced their peak-hour energy consumption by over 15% and lowered their total winter energy consumption by over 10%.

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About the conservation research initiative

British Columbians are showing that energy conservation can make a difference.

BC Hydro has been conducting a Conservation Research Initiative since November 2006 to examine how individual British Columbians can make a difference and help meet the growing demand for electricity in B.C. by conserving power in their homes.

This important electricity conservation study is being conducted in more than 1,800 residential homes in Vancouver, Burnaby, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Campbell River and Fort St. John.

The study is testing time-of-use rates and smart meters (digital meters that measure hourly electricity consumption) to help us better understand how adjusting the price of electricity at different times of day influences energy use by residential customers. Study participants are encouraged to conserve electricity and shift usage to off-peak times.

Year 1 ENERGY STAR® appliance package winners

Congratulations to our lucky Year 1 winners, Jose Bento of Vancouver and Newton Harrah of Burnaby, who each won $8,000 worth of ENERGY STAR appliances. Winners were randomly selected from all Year 1 participants who completed the first year of the study.

Jose and Rosaria Bento with CRI project manager Oscar Ceron

Newton and Flo Harrah with CRI project manager, Oscar Ceron

Year 2 tip winners

November tip winner: Roger Vaughan of Fort St. John.

Vaughan's tip: Save 8 to 11 hours of power by using an automatic timer to start your block heater two hours before you leave for work in the morning instead of plugging it in the night before.

December tip winner: Kim Touchette of Vancouver.

Touchette's tip: We have young children who often get up at night and take the stairs to come to our room. For lighting their way, we string holiday LED lights down the stairs and the hall where we don't have a plug for a traditional night light. The LEDs provide ample energy-efficient light for the kids to find their way safely.

January tip winner: Marc Carey of Vancouver.

Carey's tip: We installed a 220-volt timer on our hot water tank to switch the tank off during peak hours saving us energy and money.

How CRI participants track consumption

Participants on the Conservation Research Initiative can log on to their account to view their 30-day and 24-hour electrical consumption history. The tracking is enabled by the smart meters installed at the homes of each of the participants.

This technology allows the participants to track their energy consumption during peak and off-peak hours and to make adjustments so they can shift or conserve more energy.

Year one results

Data from the first year shows that participants reduced their total energy consumption by an average of 7.6% during the winter peak period. And an impressive 63% of participants saved money by conserving and shifting their energy consumption to off-peak hours.

During the peak hours from November 2006 to February 2007, participants successfully reduced their household energy consumption by the following amounts:

Why are we doing this?

B.C.'s economy is growing, and so is our demand for energy. In fact, for years we have been using more electricity than we produce here in B.C. The Province has set a goal of achieving electricity self-sufficiency by 2016, and conservation is the first and best choice to help achieve that goal. That's why we are encouraging all British Columbians to conserve more. We'll need everyone's help to make it happen.

BC Hydro needs to provide enough electricity to meet the peak electricity demand – the demand on the coldest days of the year at the highest-use period of the day. Shifting electricity to off-peak hours will reduce peak demand and allow us to delay adding new generation facilities to our system. It's a way of doing more with existing resources.

Year two plans

Year Two of BC Hydro's Conservation Research Initiative started on November 1, 2007 and will wrap up on October 31, 2008. This year's focus is to improve our understanding of customer acceptance of three initiatives:

• time-of-use rates
• conservation
• the shift of energy use to off-peak hours.

BC Hydro is testing several new time-of-use rates and continuing to test smart meter technology. We are also examining technologies that adjust the temperature of electric water heaters and thermostats during extreme weather conditions, when electricity demand is at its highest.

Volunteer participants

Participants who complete Year Two of the study ending October 31, 2008, will be entered in a draw for a chance to win one of four ENERGY STAR labelled refrigerators valued at approximately $2,500 each.

Once the study is complete on October 31, 2008, BC Hydro will compile and analyze the data and prepare a report on the findings for the British Columbia Utilities Commission. An analysis will also be provided to each participant outlining how their usage patterns changed.