Kelowna’s cold snap is resulting in higher than normal natural gas and energy usage by FortisBC customers.
FortisBC said electricity use in Kelowna peaked on Wednesday Jan. 4 with demand at 307 megawatts.
That’s a 25 per cent increase compared to the end of November.
In its service area energy demand peaked at 731 megawatts on Wednesday Jan. 4.
“This is the highest demand we’ve seen since we reached the record peak load of 746 megawatts on December 2008,” said corporate communications advisor Nicole Bogdanovic in a news release.
FortisBC said this is a good reminder to take steps to weatherize homes and businesses and make sure heating systems are in good working order.
Quick and easy things people can do to reduce energy use during a cold snap are:
- Putting on a sweater instead of turning up the heat.
- Checking for drafts around windows and doors and add or replace worn weather stripping.
- If you’re looking to make energy saving upgrades to your home, like upgrading insulation, water heaters or high-efficiency fireplaces.