Bromont, montagne d’expériences

Adjusting electricity consumption in peak periods

In Québec, we deal with temperatures that vary greatly over the course of a year and sometimes even during the same week. Ski resorts are not immune to this reality. They absorb significant electricity costs that skyrocket in times of extreme cold. Bromont, montagne d’expériences operates 11 ski lifts and has 141 trails, 101 of which are lit. In discussions with the Hydro-Québec team, the resort owners quickly realized that there were options available to them to reduce their electricity bill and contribute to a better management of our energy resources.

The DR option proposed by Hydro-Québec met the resort’s objectives. By taking part in the DR option, participating customers reduce their power demand during peak demand events in exchange for a credit at the end of winter. These efforts help to reduce electricity imports, which can be very costly. They also reduce the investments needed on our system to meet demand, which is highest during the winter peak period. The ski resort thus implemented a series of measures to scale back its activities during peak periods, including ceasing snow production and reducing the lit ski area, both of which require a lot of power.

Since it began participating in 2018, the resort has reduced its power demand on the system between 1,696 kW and 3,981 kW per peak demand event. These savings have resulted of $861,840 in compensation over four years for the resort.