As the cold sinks its teeth into Saskatchewan, another record for power consumption has been set.
SaskPower reported that on Monday afternoon, its peak load reached 3,710 megawatts (MW), beating out a previous record of 3,640 MW from Jan. 12, 2016.
SaskPower said the difference is the equivalent power use of 70,000 homes.
“We’ve seen new peaks set nine times since 2007, and we know this trend is going to continue. We want to make sure our customers have the safe and reliable power they depend on,” SaskPower president and CEO Mike Marsh said in a news release.
New peak records were set in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, twice in 2015 and twice again in 2016.
SaskPower said colder temperatures don’t necessarily have to mean higher power bills.
It’s reminding customers to:
- Turn down the thermostat, especially when no one is home
- Plug in cars with a block heater timer
- Turn off lights when leaving a room
- Use LED light bulbs