Hydro bills feeling the heat

TORONTO - Toronto Hydro is warning customers not to be shocked when they open their latest bill, as a warmer-than-usual summer led to a significant increase in electricity use.

Customers with air-conditioned homes can expect to pay about $12 more on their July bill thanks to the hot and humid weather, a Toronto Hydro spokesman said Tuesday.

“This would of course depend on the frequency and extent of air conditioner use,” Alexandra Stadnyk said.

According to Environment Canada, July saw 272 hours above 25C, that’s up from 234 hours in July 2010 — a 21% year-over-year increase.

According to Toronto Hydro, air conditioning can account for up to half of a home’s power consumption during a heat wave.

Dehumidifiers and refrigeration appliances are also culprits for higher bills.

“If you don’t have an air conditioner and your bill still went up, there’s a number of questions to ask yourself,” Stadnyk said. “These include things like whether you had visitors stay with you over the summer, or if you recently added an extension to your home, was there a pool pump running or did you use more energy during peak time-of-use hours? Any of these factors could lead to a higher bill.”

With Environment Canada forecasting a warmer-than-average fall ahead, Stadnyk recommends surfing over to torontohydro.com for energy conservation tips.

“There’s a lot you can do,” she said. “Drawing blinds when it’s hot, or opening windows during cooler periods. You can plant trees for shade.

“Shifting your power usage to non-peak hours when possible is useful too.”

Customers also can track how much electricity they are using during peak time-of-use hours at torontohydro.com/tou.

“Once you see the information, you might decide to change what time you’re doing laundry or running the dishwasher,” Stadnyk said.

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Posted in: Environment Canada,orontohydro