Calgarians experienced some of the coldest temperatures on record last month and ENMAX says energy consumption for the month has gone up more than 22,000 megawatts hours compared to the same month last year.
ENMAX is warning its customers that they will likely see a substantial increase in their energy bill this month.
“All households across Alberta will be seeing the impact of cold temperature on their usage, regardless of what energy retailer they’re with, but with February’s record-setting cold snap, we want to give customers a heads up about the potential for higher than normal natural gas charges and the conditions that lead to them,” said ENMAX officials in a statement to CTV News.
Officials say energy consumption is closely related to temperature and energy use on the system increases as people turn up the thermostat and spend more time indoors, using lights and electronics.
ENMAX says energy use this February went up more than 22,000 megawatts hours compared to 2018 and that equates to enough energy to power about 3400 homes for a year.
Natural gas consumption for the average household could increase by as much as 40 percent with a just a ten degree drop below zero but that will vary from customer to customer based on rate, weather, usage and length of the billing period.
The utility supplier says there are a number of things people can do to save energy in the winter:
- Switch to compact florescent and LED lighting
- Use smaller lights for your work spaces
- Use motion detectors outdoors
- Turn off lights when not in use
- Use sensors or timers
- Remove window air conditioners in winter
- Improve your home’s insulation
- Seal leaky ducts
- Open your shades to take advantage of winter sunlight
- Reverse your ceiling fan to send warmer air down to the living space
Officials say the cold weather does not affect the power system and that capacity is meeting demand.
ENMAX keeps track of demand on the system in real-time. Click HERE to learn more.
