B.C.'s electricity security starts with you

Richard Neufeld
Times Colonist
July 12, 2006

We pass rows of blue recycling boxes on our streets and don't give them a second glance. For most of us, recycling is second nature. But it wasn't always the case. "Reduce, re-use, recycle" took us a few years to adopt.

Imagine if we could be as aware of energy issues and embrace electricity conservation in the same way that we've adopted our blue boxes.

What's the urgency to conserve electricity? After all, for more than four decades, our province has enjoyed the advantage of clean, low-cost reliable hydroelectricity.

For the short term B.C. has enough electricity to meet our needs. But as our province grows, meeting our electricity needs in the longer term will require sound planning, much discussion and balanced decision-making.

Planning for our future energy needs is well underway. Later this year the government will release its updated energy plan. Electricity, fundamentally important to our economic well-being and quality of life, will be a key part of the plan. Earlier this year we announced our intention to return B.C. to electricity self-sufficiency within the decade. We can't leave our electricity supply to chance.

B.C. Hydro forecasts that in the next 20 years the province will need between 25 per cent and 45 per cent more electricity, enough to power 1.4 million to 2.5 million new homes. That may seem like a lot, but look at how much our economy has grown in the last two decades. It only makes sense to leave our children a secure legacy for the future.

While we consider the options and the trade-offs available to meet B.C.'s increasing electricity demand, we can begin to help offset that demand through increased conservation. While planning new generation sources will take time, using what we already have more wisely is the one thing we can all do right now.

B.C. Hydro's Power Smart program is helping to create a conservation culture in B.C. Whether it's turning off a light or installing more energy-efficient appliances, every decision to conserve electricity is important. Every hour of power saved is one less that B.C. Hydro has to either buy or build. It's like money in your pocket.

An energy-efficient lifestyle starts at home. Most homes consume more energy than necessary because of outdated construction materials, windows, heating and cooling systems. To help solve this problem, the B.C. government was the first in Canada to release an strategy around energy efficiency in buildings.

Improvements can be as simple and inexpensive as applying weather stripping on draughty doorways or turning down the thermostat at night. Installing high-efficiency furnaces and windows can make a big difference.

Increasingly, we are also looking at how building design can increase energy efficiency and help manage rising energy costs while improving the indoor air quality and comfort.

To make energy-efficiency improvements easier, the government provides subsidies, rebates and tax incentives. Measures like replacing standard lights with energy-efficient compact fluorescent lights make a difference.

To take it one step further, how about installing solar lights in your yard? I did this a few months ago and they work well.

Information about programs to help you make your home more energy efficient is available on our website at www.empr.gov.bc.ca.

Planning for a secure energy future is everybody's business. Think about our choices for the future. Conservation is an action we can all take starting today. And soon, it will become second nature, just like recycling.

- Richard Neufeld is minister of energy, mines and petroleum resources.