It’s October – for all of us that means the days get shorter, the leaves change color, and we spend 30 of the 31 days trying to figure out the right mix of scary and awesome for the perfect Halloween costume. For Canadian’s, October is also the month we push the limits of how much turkey and potatoes we can fit in our stomach. In British Columbia, however, it means a third thing, Power Smart Month. Although this campaign is only in BC, we feel that people should be thinking Power Smart all the time!
Power Smart Month started in 2007, with BC Hydro developing a strategy to engage citizens to be conscious of their energy expenditure. The Power Smart campaign encourages simple acts that will cooperatively yield ample results. For residential energy consumers there are five main pillars:
- Lighting
- Swap out regular bulbs for energy star bulbs
- Turn off lights when not in use
- Embrace more natural light!
- Heating
- Turn down the thermostat and throw on some cozy slippers
- Better insulation will yield big long term savings (windows are fairly cheap to replace)
- Water
- Run FULL loads of laundry and/or dishes
- Get a low-flow shower head
- Appliances
- Don’t use the oven unless you have to – many dishes can be prepared in smaller appliances that use half the energy (ie. microwave, toaster oven)
- When purchasing new household appliances, choose the energy star option whenever viable
- Electricity
- Recycle – don’t junk- old appliances
- Unplug whenever the device is not in use! (It may appear OFF but it is still consuming energy)
For businesses there are a whole other set of tips classified by small and medium, commercial and industrial business. The tips cover everything from computers to fan and filtration systems. If you are unsure about how much energy a device is expending, you can use the energy calculator to give you an approximation of how much you are using, and what it may be costing you.
As they say, however, ‘the proof is in the pudding’ (in my best Bill Cosby voice). Since 2007, the Power Smart campaign has generated close to $150 million dollars in hydro bill savings! The amount that being Power Smart saves the earth, however…priceless!