Hey Ontario…this week is important!
May 21, 2008
Every year, Ontario uses about 152,000,000 megawatt hours (464KB PDF) of electricity, enough to watch your favourite 42” plasma television at 358 kilowatt hours for the next 291,563 years.
That’s a lot of Battlestar Galactica.
Ontario leads the country in its use of energy, consuming more petroleum and coal than any other Canadian province.
It’s a dubious honour, but beginning May 25, the province will be trying to curb its energy use during its first annual Energy Conservation Week, a week of province-wide events complete with simple energy-saving tips designed to make Ontarians think about the way they use energy.
Co-created by Ontario’s Power Authority (OPA), the province’s Ministry of Energy, the Electricity Distributors Association (EDA) and the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), the week is designed to show businesses and individuals how they can contribute to Ontario’s conservation goals.
Of course, Ontario’s utilities and their acronym-endowed umbrella organizations don’t expect Ontarians to commit to energy savings without some kind of tangible reward, so the week also includes those two words that every frugal energy user loves to hear: free stuff!
Backyard makeovers! Free shower heads and low-flow kitchen swivel aerator! A promotional video featuring Peter Love, Ontario’s Chief Energy Conservation Officer!
Well, all right, a video with a middle-aged executive touring Ontario with stock footage of washers and dryers may not exactly be riveting stuff. But if Ontarians really do have 291 millennia worth of power for their television-watching needs, it’s an event with plenty of time to improve.
