Relentless heat resulting in water main breaks and higher power use in Regina

The heat is relentless and love it or not, it’s starting to take a toll.

Last week, SaskPower warned about shifting ground causing meter box fires. Now, the City of Regina faces a similar problem but with water.

READ MORE: SaskPower battling dry conditions as it continues to cause meter fires in Regina

So far in July alone, there have been 66 water leaks and pipeline breaks.

“We certainly are seeing it start to creep up and this is earlier than other years… Our biggest break month is typically September,” Wilson said.

It’s not only ground shifting that has SaskPower’s attention. The summer has produced record breaking power usage.

“Yesterday we reached a new summer peak. We have had higher totals in the winter, but in the summer we’ve reached 3419 megawatts and that is an all-time record,” SaskPower spokesperson Leanne Persicke said.

SaskPower isn’t sweating it yet. It has the capacity to handle 4400 megawatts of usage, but Persicke said residents should always look for ways to limit consumption.

“If you raise your air conditioner one degree, while you’re away for eight hours… You can save two per cent on your power bill,” Persicke said.

READ MORE: Saskatchewan gets hot and humid weather with temperatures around 30 Celsius

It might not seem like much, but like the temperature, it all adds up.