Darrell Bellaart,
Nanaimo Daily News
January 14, 2009

Vancouver Islanders used more electrical energy than at any other time during the dinner hour just days before Christmas, and cold weather is blamed for the increase.

"On Dec. 20 we broke the record peak, by using 2,320 megawatts," said Ted Olynyk, B.C. Hydro spokesman.

The previous record of 2,264 megawatts was set on Jan. 12, 2007.

While Christmas lights can play a role in boosting hydro consumption, their twinkle pales in comparison to baseboard heaters, which are still used to heat many Island homes even though it's been 18 years since the gas started flowing through the Vancouver Island natural gas pipeline.

"Electric heat can make a difference," Olynyk said.

"That's the big thing. Everything adds up -- lights will go on longer because it's darker, even people have heaters on in sheds to prevent their pipes from freezing, it just increases usage."

The new high comes just three months after B.C. Hydro introduced its stepped billing rate which is designed to discourage excess energy consumption.

Under the new billing system, customers pay a lower rate for the first 2,260 kilowatt-hours of energy they use in a two-month billing period.

Any power in excess of that amount is charged at 7.21 cents per kilowatt, compared to a base conservation rate of 5.98 cents.

When it was introduced, Hydro said 70% of customers' electrical bills would be lower under the new system. Hydro could not say how many customers have exceeded the conservation rate since stepped billing was introduced.

"We just don't know," said Hydro spokesman Dag Sharman.

Sharman said the Crown corporation is still putting together a database that would allow it to break out the numbers for each class of use.

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