Energy Efficiency Posts

Guess Watt? It’s Energy Efficiency Week!

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The 8th annual Energy Efficiency Week is all about getting YOU involved in the conversation about how to save energy and money.

If you have a question, now is the time to ask! When you submit your energy efficiency question on TakeChargeNL.ca you will be entered to win a custom energy assessment and $1,000 for energy-efficient upgrades! To qualify, questions must be submitted by 4pm on Friday, October 14, 2016.

Here are some of the questions we’ve received so far:

Q: I have electric heat. Should I leave my thermostats at the same temperature day and night or should I turn them back at bedtime?

A: You should turn back the heat in rooms you don’t use a lot by 3-5°C. And do the same for the main parts of your home when you’re going out for several hours and at night. Turning down the heat can save you hundreds in heating costs and is easy to do!

Q: Can I use a dimmer switch with LED lighting to reduce energy consumption?

A: LED light bulbs are great energy savers! They use at least 75% less energy than a traditional incandescent bulb and last up to 25 times longer. Using a dimmer switch with an LED is a good way to save even more energy. LEDs can work with dimmers. Just make sure to check the packaging of the dimmer switch to ensure it works with LEDS. Some dimmers only work with other types of bulbs.

Keep the questions coming in! And remember, takeCHARGE is always here to help! During Energy Efficiency Week and all year-round, we offer advice and rebate programs to help you save energy and money.

 

A Snapshot of 2015

Annual Report blog bannerThe numbers are in and 2015 was another solid year for our utility operations and customer service.  Here’s a snapshot from Newfoundland Power’s report on operations.

  • We delivered electricity to our customers 99.96% of the time; our reliability measure is twice as good as comparable utilities in Canada.
  • We invested $100 million in the electricity system, with close to 50% dedicated to upgrades – keeping our system safe and reliable.
  • We decreased the number of electricity bills that were estimated by 40% by increasing the number of automated meters at your homes and businesses.
  • Over 1/3 of our customers now receive electronic bills.
  • We launched a new customer blog, and we have over 25,000 followers on Twitter and about 8,000 receiving the Company’s new email/text outage alerts that provide real-time outage information and updates.
  • Our takeCHARGE rebate programs helped more than 6,000 customers save energy in 2015. We also provided over 395,000 at-the-cash rebates on energy efficient products through our retail partners. Since the launch, customers have saved enough to power the Town of Paradise for an entire year.
  • We have kept our operating costs under control at a rate that is below inflation.
  • Through The Power of Life Project, over $400,000 was raised to support  cancer care; and, we reached nearly 100 environmental projects completed through our annual EnviroFest events.

A huge thank you to our 650 employees and more than 260,000 customers.

Check out our full Report on Operations on our website.

 

It’s Energy Efficiency Week: Ask an Energy Expert

It’s Energy Efficiency Week: Ask an Energy Expert

It’s Energy Efficiency Week and it’s all about you and your questions. With winter on the way it’s the perfect time to start thinking about how you can save energy and money.

What information do you need to make your home or business more energy efficient? From October 3 to 9you can use #EEWeekNL on Facebook and Twitter to ask our takeCHARGE Energy Experts all your energy efficiency questions. Plus, you can chat with our Energy Experts LIVE via Twitter and Facebook between 10-11am and 7-8pm, October 8. We’ve received some great questions so far including:

  • How do I find the right light bulb?
  • Should I set all my thermostats on the same temperature?
  • What are the benefits of a heat pump?
  • What rebates are available if I heat my home with oil?

What do YOU want to know? It’s all available at TakeChargeNL.ca. Can’t find what you are looking for? Just ask. We are here to help. We look forward to talking energy efficiency with you this week and all year-round.