Power Smart Resolution

By Kari Kylo, BC Hydro Power Smart

For many of us, January is a time for new beginnings. We reflect upon our past year, as well as look at ways in which we can make positive changes in our lives moving forward.

A New Year’s resolution that has gained popularity over the past decade is to become more environmentally friendly, energy efficient and sustainable in our everyday lives. This is easy to accomplish by implementing small changes in your home on a daily basis.

Here are five easy tips to help you start the year off Power Smart:

• Unplug your cell phone, camera and other battery chargers when they are not in use. Many electronic devices continue to use power even when you are not operating them.
• Turn down your thermostat by 1°C. If every household in BC with electric space heating turned down their heat by 1°C for eight hours per day, it would save enough electricity to power Science World for over 75 years.
• Wash your clothes with cold water. Water heating accounts for 90 per cent of the energy consumption of washing machines.
• Turn off the water when brushing your teeth or shaving and you will save as much as 12 litres of water per minute.
• Turn off all the lights when you leave a room. For every second that your home lights are turned off, you are conserving energy and money.

To learn more about ways to conserve energy in everyday life, as well as BC Hydro’s Power Smart residential programs such as mail-in rebates, ENERGY STAR® windows, PST exemptions and Power Smart New Homes, visit www.bchydro.com/powersmart.