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Getting Zapped: Ontario electricity prices increasing faster than anywhere else
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Can't take the heat
Feeling the heat, Canadians are being reminded to dim the lights, turn down the air conditioning and join governments in embracing a culture of energy conservation.
While most critics agree people have good intentions, they say preserving fragile electricity resources remains a relatively low priority.
The call to conserve power is expected to be particularly urgent in Ontario this week, with 30C heat in the forecast.
Ontario urges power conservation as usage hits peak
Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator issued a power warning on Tuesday as blistering heat and humidity fueled power demand to record levels, urging consumers to curb electricity use until 8 p.m. EDT to ease the strain on the bulk system.
"We are going to be relying on imports over the peak (afternoon) hour but at this point, we are anticipating being able to meet demand," said Lisa Pearson, an IESO spokeswoman.
Crank up the air conditioning: It's a hot one today
With mercury levels expected to hit between a scorching 34 to 36 Celsius today, hydro officials anticipate residents to blast their air conditioners, sucking up more energy than they have ever used before.
Ontario’s all-time energy consumption record sits at 26,160 megawatts, set a year ago on July 13.
No more blackouts? No guarantees, say experts
As Monday marks the third anniversary of the blackout that cut power to 50 million people in Ontario and parts of the northeastern United States, some energy experts say there’s no guarantee it won’t happen again.
Some critics blamed the problem three years ago on a lack of enforceable rules governing the many independent power producers on the gird. They say the same problems remain to this day.
Hydro reliability has improved since lights went out in 2003
Three years to the day after 50 million people in Ontario and parts of the north-eastern United States were plunged into darkness, energy watchdogs say improved reliability measures make a repeat of the blackout unlikely, but warn conservation measures are still needed.
"All of the major transmission utilities have invested significant dollars in upgrading their system," said energy critic Tom Adams, executive director of Energy Probe. "We still have a ways to go but there is meaningful progress."
New power meters let users cash in
Hamilton will move one step closer to curbing soaring energy consumption today with the launch of a new billing pilot project that promises to change how customers use – and pay for – electricity.
Horizon Utilities will begin installing time-of-use meters in several Hamilton-area neighbourhoods this morning that will eventually reward customers for using power at low-peak times and penalize those guzzling electricity during high-demand hours.
The new "smart meters" will replace existing meters in 7,500 homes by the end of October.
New power meters let users cash in
Hamilton will move one step closer to curbing soaring energy consumption today with the launch of a new billing pilot project that promises to change how customers use – and pay for – electricity.
Horizon Utilities will begin installing time-of-use meters in several Hamilton-area neighbourhoods this morning that will eventually reward customers for using power at low-peak times and penalize those guzzling electricity during high-demand hours.
The new "smart meters" will replace existing meters in 7,500 homes by the end of October.
Guelph Hydro drops its retail enterprise
Guelph Hydro Inc. announced yesterday it would wind down operations at Selectpower, one of its subsidiaries, this year.
Board chair Paul Truex said the retailer wasn’t profitable and a turnaround wasn’t coming. "We’re simply phasing out of these businesses because we’re not making money at it," he said.
Selectpower was a power retailer, selling wind power, air conditioning units, hot water heaters and geothermal systems. It was created in 2000, following the deregulation of Ontario’s electricity market in late 1998.
Areva (who?) wants to be household name
It’s the world’s biggest nuclear power company, and a major player in Canada’s electrical distribution, nuclear maintenance and uranium mining business, but Areva Group’s name is no household word in this country.
The French nuclear giant wants to change that, and it hopes a higher profile will help it gain a huge breakthrough in Canada: the sale of a new nuclear reactor for Ontario’s power grid.
Smart meters 'not-so-smart idea' for residential users?
The Ontario government may be right on schedule with its goal to hook up 800,000 homes with so-called smart meters, but a local consumer advocacy group doubts if the device will be practical for residential users.
Premier Dalton McGuinty had earlier charged the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) with overseeing deployment of smart electricity meters in 800,000 homes in the province by the end 2007. The deployment is supposed to cover the whole of Ontario by 2010.
Energy Probe 