B.C. residents have until Jan. 31 to get a $100 rebate if they join and successfully fulfil an energy-conservation program.
The B.C. Hydro program offers the rebate if you cut your home power usage by 10 per cent over a 365-day period. People joining between now and the end of the month who cut their electricity usage by 10 per cent over 365 days will get a $100 rebate. If they join after the deadline, the rebate goes back down to $50.
Almost a quarter-million customers have signed up since the program was instituted in 2008, Susie Rieder, a spokeswoman for B.C. Hydro said, with more than 100,000 of those having successfully completed the challenge.
Since the extra $50 was added to the incentive on Nov. 23, 60,000 B.C. Hydro customers have signed up, she said.
The challenge is called Team Power Smart and you can join online at bchydro.com. Rebates will be credited to your B.C. Hydro account. It’s in addition to a B.C. Hydro program called Peak Saver in which the Crown corporation sends a text or email reminder about peak-power periods, encouraging you to cut your power use, and receive $1 back for reducing it up to 19 per cent and $3 back for reducing it by 20 per cent or more.
“Peak Saver events are short periods, one to three hours, when electricity demand is at its highest,” Rieder said. “You can participate in as many or as few Peak Saver events as you want.”
B.C. Hydro breaks down the ways to reduce electricity usage during peak times into three categories: room and water heating; cooking, cleaning and lighting; and electrical-vehicle charging.
If you charge your EV at home, B.C. Hydro suggests delaying until after the peak event, and instead of cooking with your oven or stove, try using small appliances like toasters or a slow cooker, the corporation suggests.
Don’t vacuum, iron clothes or use power tools, turn down the thermostat and shower before or after the peak period.
B.C. Hydro includes an appliance cost-calculator on its website, covering everything from large appliances, air conditioning and floor fans, light bulbs and space heaters, to laptops, tablets and video games.
“Customers can reduce their energy use by using the delayed start settings on their dishwasher and dryer, decreasing their thermostat by one degree or simply turning things off,” Rieder said. “Customers who successfully reduce their energy use by 20 per cent or more during the event when compared to their typical energy use earn a reward of $3. “On an operational level, it’s encouraging customers to shift their usage to free up capacity during peak periods.”
B.C. Hydro tested Peak Saver in a small trial two years ago before launching in October 2022. Participants are alerted to peak events between November and March of each year.
There are between 10 and 30 such peak events a year, Rieder said, and those participating can opt in out as they see fit.
“There are more than 33,000 participants to date,” Rieder said. “We recognize that not everyone may want to take advantage of it — that’s why it’s voluntary.”
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