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British Columbians have been turning on fans and air conditioners to keep cool in the heat and BC Hydro predicts that province wide electricity demand could break a historical record for the month of June.
On Monday evening, BC Hydro recorded the highest peak hourly demand (hour when customers are using the most electricity) of the season at about 7,300 megawatts or a 10 per cent increase over the previous Monday.
In a statement, BC Hydro says its forecasting its peak to be between 7,000 and 7,500 megawatts over the next few days.
BC Hydro spokesperson Tanya Fish says people can reduce their power use by closing drapes and blinds especially during the day to block out about 65 per cent of the heat.
"We also recommend using a fan over an air conditioner. A fan actually uses about one-tenth of the electricity as an air conditioner does. If someone does want to use an air conditioner we recommend looking for an Energy Star model as these are much more energy efficient and about the same cost," Fish says.
She says people can hang their laundry to dry instead of using a dryer and cook outside or use smaller appliances such as a microwave, crockpot toaster oven or barbecue to avoid the heat produced by a stove or oven.
Environment Canada has issued a heat warning with temperatures expected to reach the low thirties today and Wednesday in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. Temperatures are more than 10 degrees above average for the middle of June.
People are advised to drink plenty of water and seek out cool places such as swimming pools or tree-shaded areas. Environment Canada recommends that outdoor workers take regularly scheduled breaks in a cool place.
The BC SPCA is reminding everyone not to leave dogs or other animals in parked cars.
“People don’t realize just how quickly their cars can become death traps for their pets – it can take as little as 10 minutes for the vehicle to reach temperatures where the animal can suffer irreparable brain damage or death,” says Lorie Chortyk, general manager of community relations for the BC SPCA.
All of the City of Vancouver's water parks opened earlier this month and although it may be hot outside, the official first day of summer is June 21.
