Press Release
Ontario is helping families across the province manage the cost of their monthly electricity bills.
In anticipation of the warm spring and summer months, the province would like to remind Ontarians that simple choices about their energy use can have a direct impact on monthly costs and the environment.
Some useful tips to help manage energy use include:
•setting your central air conditioner for 25°C when you’re at home and 28°C when you’re away (when properly set, a programmable thermostat can reduce heating and cooling costs);
•using a clothesline to let the sun and breeze naturally dry your clothes in the summer months, rather than using an electric dryer; and
•planting a tree or shrub that will provide shade to your central air conditioner (this can improve the unit’s efficiency by up to 10 percent).
To learn more about how to reduce monthly bills and increase conservation, Ontarians can follow the Ministry of Energy on Twitter for daily conservation tips between “Earth Hour” (March 31) and “Earth Day” (April 22).
By following these suggested tips, Ontarians could save $200 on their annual energy costs.
Building a clean energy system and a culture of conservation is part of the McGuinty government’s plan to create and support jobs for Ontario families while ensuring we have the electricity we need to power our homes, schools, hospitals, and economy.
“If we all do our part, simple choices we make can go a long way to reducing energy use,” said Energy minster Chris Bentley.
“Conservation is an important part of our plan to lower greenhouse gas emissions, clean up the air we breathe, and transition to a clean, reliable modern electricity system,” he added.
“You can help protect Ontario’s future by conserving electricity, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions,” echoed Environment minister Jim Bradley.
“When we take practical steps to lower our energy consumption we benefit the health of our economy, environment, and families,” he noted.
Through conservation, Ontarians have achieved more than 1,700 MW of energy savings since 2005. That’s the equivalent of more than 500,000 homes being taken off the grid.
Energy conservation is an important part of Ontario’s Long-Term Energy Plan, which has set a goal of reducing peak electricity demand by 7,100 megawatts (MW) by the year 2030.
That’s the equivalent of taking about 2.4 million homes off the grid.
