You may have noticed that the air is a little bit crisper these days. I know that we try to hold off on wearing mittens and scarves for as long as we possibly can, but we all know that when our attention has turned from air conditioners to electric heaters, winter is inevitably approaching. We’re electricians in Toronto, so we notice when that switch happens!
As we enjoy watching the leaves in High Park change, there are a few other changes to notice as we switch over from summer to winter. Again, we’re electricians, so we will stick with the energy-related changes and leave things like fashion and seasonal vegetables to the other blogs!
5 Ways the winter changes our energy bills
- We spend more time at home and indoors.
- We drink more warm beverages and cook more hot meals
- We watch more TV
- There are less hours of daylight, so we need to turn on more lights
- Hydro’s peak billing hours change
We did some research and took a look at how an average person uses energy for household activities in the summer and compared these numbers to how they they use energy in the winter. We factored in the new winter peak hours, taking affect on November 1st to get the correct rates.
Summary Table 1 – Daily Electric Costs Increment in Toronto(1)
To sum up that information, the winter could raise your monthly electrical bill by roughly 15%. Click on the Summary Table or on the following link to Download our Complete table for Daily Energy costs change based on Toronto Hydro costs. by For the usage we calculated, that worked out to $45 per month.
So, how do you get that number a little lower? We’re so glad that you asked!
We wrote an entire guide to energy efficiency and conservation a few months again and will happily share it again. Some of our tips include draft proofing your windows and doors, preparing your home properly when you’re away on vacation, and using programmable thermostats.
Sources: Summary Table 1 (1) Toronto Hydro, LG, Fortis BC, Energy.gov, Michael Bluejay, eHow, ABSAK
Picture from: Toronto Hydro