Rethinking Lifestyle

What went through your mind when you heard that Hydro may have to propose price hikes into the “double digits”?

Can you take a 10% price increase?

I’m sure most of those reading this would draw a sharp increase of breath at the thought. I have seen a couple of press articles about businesses which will really struggle because they have machinery and equipment that runs 24 hours a day.

For the domestic user, electricity use is to some extent within his/her control. We can choose to use, or not to use electricity, and we can use energy efficient equipment.

Let’s take the big items first. Do you know how old your fridge is? We inherited a pair of fridge and freezer dating back to 1972 when we bought our house! They both kicked out a huge amount of heat in summer and the motor seemed to run constantly. We replaced both with new appliances and got a rebate from Hydro for our trouble. Our electricity consumption went down immediately, and the kitchen is far cooler in the summer now. Similarly, our stove was old and not running properly. It seemed to take forever to reach the desired temperature and it took at least 50% longer to cook anything than the recipe suggested making cooking a major event that needed significant time. Our new stove has made cooking fast and effective, and no doubt it is having an impact on our usage.

Elsewhere, we practice energy conservation:

1. We have replaced most of our light bulbs with low energy ones, LED bulbs from that big box Swedish store which are available in bulk at a reasonable price. The light is bright and white, and each bulb uses about 1/4 of what a standard incandescent bulb uses. We turn off lights when we leave the room.
2. Outside security lights are movement sensitive. They only turn on when something crosses their path, so they are turned off most of the time, when they are not needed.
3. We plan our laundry so that we only run a full load. We wash everything cold, using liquid detergent designed for the purpose. We hang sensitive items to air dry rather than splitting the load to use different dryer settings, and we use a line outside from spring to fall.
4. We run computers, charge phones and tablets, but turn these off when they are not in use.
5. We keep the house cool by shutting curtains and blinds during the day when we are out at work, and opening windows at night to allow an exchange of air. This works for most of the summer, which we supplement with the air conditioner only when the temperature exceeds 25C.

Turning things off takes a little effort, a quick patrol round the house when we go out and before we go to bed, but it quickly became a habit. It’s something we were trained to do as kids in England. There’s nothing quite like a small child telling you you’ve left something turned on and its costing money to shame you into action!

Some may argue that Manitoban’s practising energy conservation to reduce electricity consumption won’t help Hydro pay off their debts. This is true, I can’t deny it. But I ask you, would you rather your money goes to Hydro or for a meal out with your family every month, or to support your child’s favourite sport or music lessons.

What would you choose?