Toronto Hydro reports a seven per cent drop in electricity demand during Earth Hour

TORONTO, March 23, 2013 /CNW/ - Toronto Hydro-Electric System Limited ("Toronto Hydro") is pleased to report that the city dropped 205 megawatts (MW) of electricity during Earth Hour. This is equivalent to removing about 92,000 homes off Toronto's electricity grid.

Toronto Hydro saw a significant drop of electricity consumption based on the electricity load recorded for the last three Saturdays this month,  As homes and businesses shut off lights, computers, television sets and other non-essential appliances and equipment, the drop continued to decline over the hour. Normal demand on Saturday evenings at 8 p.m. this month averages 3035 MW. A megawatt is equal to one-million watts. During Earth Hour, the drop in electricity was approximately seven per cent.

Customers can turn every hour into Earth Hour by picking up Toronto Hydro's saveONenergy coupons, which will be featured in-store next month at participating retailers for discounts on energy-efficient products for the home, including lighting controls (i.e. dimmers and motion sensors), compact fluorescent light bulbs and power bars. These coupons are downloadable from the Toronto Hydro website and can be used at many participating locations.  For coupons and locations, visit torontohydro.com/coupons

Customers can also view their Time-of-Use (TOU) electricity consumption profile, to see their hourly, weekly and monthly electricity consumption at torontohydro.com/tou and manage their hydro bills by shifting consumption to lower-priced off peak time periods. If not already signed up for access to the TOU website, they can follow the simple instructions found on the TOU website.

About Toronto Hydro 
The principal business of the Corporation and its subsidiaries is the distribution of electricity by Toronto Hydro-Electric System Limited. Toronto Hydro-Electric System owns and operates an electricity distribution system, which delivers electricity to approximately 719,000 customers located in the City of Toronto. It is the largest municipal electricity distribution company in Canada and distributes approximately 19% of the electricity consumed in the Province of Ontario.

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SOURCE: Toronto Hydro Corporation