Here’s What Might Make Your Electricity Bill Higher in Mississauga
Published July 24, 2018 at 6:44 pm
It’s no secret that the demand for electricity is on the rise in Mississauga, and there are a variety of factors that might make your bill more expensive.
And with power outages rippling across our community this summer, it’s a good time to figure out why your bill might be higher than usual.
“Alectra Utilities is advising home and business owners, especially those who use air conditioning, to anticipate higher than normal electricity bills following recent record-setting, sustained high temperatures and humidity,” reads a recent statement from Alectra.
“In most cases the increase in electricity bills can be attributed to the use of air conditioning, which can account for up to 50 per cent of a home or business’s power consumption when daytime and overnight temperatures are hot.”
Accordig to Alectra Utilities, heat waves scorching southern Ontario this summer have increased electricity consumption as a whole, and a record in demand was set on July 5, 2018. At 3 p.m. that day, Alectra reported an electricity peak demand level for its service territory of 5,056 megawatts (MW), topping the previous peak demand record of 4,666 MW set on September 25, 2017.
While air conditioning use might drive your electricity bill up, there are other factors that might also contribute to more expensive bill that usual, too.
Videos
What else might cause an increase in your electricity bill?
- Adding appliances or other electronic equipment such as a large refrigerator or big screen TVs
- Cooling equipment like refrigerators, freezers as well as dehumidifiers working harder during heat wave
- Spending more time at home or having visitors stay ove
- Using more power during peak Time-of-Use (TOU) price period
- Operating a pool pump constantly rather than using a timer to schedule it to operate during Off-peak periods
If all of these factors can make your bill more expensive, you might be wondering how best to conserve energy at your home or business.
Here’s what Alectra advises:
- Make use of a programmable thermostat to regulate temperature
- Make use of ceiling and portable fans to circulate air
- Hang clothes outside instead of using a dryer
- Use curtains or blinds to shade windows on hot sunny days
Conserving energy can make a big difference when it comes to saving money.
“In 2017 alone, customer adoption of Alectra conservation programs helped to achieve electricity savings in the utility’s service territory of 190 gigawatt (GWh) hours, enough to power 21,000 typical homes for a year,” reads a statement from Alectra.
To learn more about conserving energy, click here.
insauga's Editorial Standards and Policies advertising