While scrolling through your Instagram feed might not sound like a romantic Valentine's date idea, a number of locals feel it is a better option than braving B.C.'s crowds on the big day.
A new survey has found that over a quarter of British Columbians in a serious relationship would prefer to stay home on their smartphone than go out with their partner for Valentine’s Day.
Conducted by Majid Khoury on behalf of BC Hydro, the survey of 800 British Columbians was conducted between Jan. 23 and 24 and found that the majority of respondents said that they plan to stay in and watch TV instead of going out on a date for Valentine’s Day. What's more, of those that plan to stay in, 40 per cent plan to cook and watch a movie, while 17 per cent said they will order food and watch Netflix.
BC Hydro notes that electricity use increased about five per cent on Valentine’s Day last year compared to the same day the previous week. In addition, the survey found that nearly one-third of respondents will text their partner a Valentine’s Day message instead of purchasing a greeting card. However, 20 per cent of them will opt to do both.
Report authors note that, "small electronic devices such as TVs, set-top boxes and smartphone chargers may not consume a large amount of electricity individually, but taken together, the amount of electricity used by smaller electronics has increased by nearly 150 per cent – from 7 per cent to 17 per cent – since the early 1990s Natural Resources Canada Canadian Energy Use and Trends."
When staying home on Valentine’s Day, BC Hydro recommends the following tips to keep electricity use low:
- Stream smart: When streaming movies or TV shows, consider using a device other than a game console as these use 40 per cent more electricity compared to other steaming devices, such as a smart TV.
- Manage power: Take advantage of the power management settings built into most new smartphones, tablets, laptops and game consoles.
- Cook-up romance: Opt to cook meals with smaller appliances, such as a crock-pot or instant pot – these use less than half the wattage of an electric oven.
