Conservation is a word most Canadians use every day. It's a word that is repeatedly echoed in television and radio advertisements, and there's an important reason why this word is drilled into our daily thoughts.
Conservation is a tool that everyone is equipped with, but few know how to utilize; it's the act of preserving something and in context to utility companies, it is generally held to include the management of human use of natural resources for current public benefit and sustainable social and economic utilization.
Brant County Power, and similar companies, has numerous conservation programs that are readily available for residents; hence the reason for this column. It is part of Brant County Power's mandate to educate our customers and provide them with the tools necessary to reduce their electrical and water consumption.
The holiday season is around the corner; here's how you can save.
Christmas lights are a sure sign of the impending festive season. They are bright, beautiful and CAN be costly. Keep in mind, LED lights will most definitely save you money. They use 10 times less energy than incandescent mini-lights and 100 times less than standard bulbs. One dollar will get you 15 hours of incandescent holiday lighting or 15 days of LED holiday lighting.
One set of 35 LED lights, operating for six hours a day, will consume less than 5 cents of electricity per month. Be sure to control your outdoor festive lights with a certified outdoor timer to coincide with time-of-use pricing.
Brant County Power has a light exchange taking place during the holiday season. Brant County Power customers can visit the office (on Dundas Street in Paris beside the fire hall) with up to three strands of old lights that will be recycled, and in turn, you will receive three boxes of brand new LED lights. No strings attached, and yes the pun was intended.
Christmas also brings an influx of visitors to your home, and while the company is certainly welcomed, the additional costs of being a host always catch up with you. When you are preparing that big meal, remember that defrosting frozen food in the refrigerator helps keep the fridge cold and is energy efficient because the mass of cold items inside helps the refrigerator recover each time the door is opened.
When you prepare all the fixings for your turkey, use the smallest pan and burner needed for the job. A six-inch pan on an eight-inch burner will waste more than 40% of the energy. Be sure to use a lid because cooking without one can consume as much as three times the energy that is actually required. Finally, keep in mind that slow cookers and crockpots will cook a whole meal for about 17 cents worth of electricity.
When it comes to the all important clean up, be sure to pack that dishwasher full before you use it and take a look at the clock. It's more cost-appropriate to use that dishwasher after 7 p.m.!
The final piece of advice for surviving this busy season is to give your meter a holiday too. If you travel for days on end to visit family out-of-town, give your electrical meter a holiday to save money. Set your electrical water heater to 'vacation' if you are away for more than two days. Lower the thermostats as well.
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