Winter peaks: Are businesses doing their share?
6 minutes reading
In Québec, more and more households are working on consuming electricity wisely, especially during . This change can also be seen in the business world, as companies take steps to reduce their use of this precious resource when required.
These are winter periods during which we anticipate that the electricity demand will be very high. They occur on cold days when everyone uses a lot of electricity at the same time.
During winter peaks, it's smart to cut down on your home electricity use—say, by turning down the heat or postponing your laundry until after the peak period. For those who’ve signed up for Hilo or Rate Flex D, these smart moves can even result in cash rewards or savings on your electricity bills. And residents aren’t the only ones making the effort: hundreds of Québec companies are also taking steps to use less electricity when demand is particularly high, like on very cold days between 6 and 9 a.m. and from 4 to 8 p.m.
Hydro-Québec has a range of offers to help companies use electricity wisely: the Demand Response (DR) Option or the interruptible electricity option. Like you, these businesses are seeing their efforts turn into cash rewards or credits on their electricity bills!
In winter 2022‑2023, the combined efforts of businesses who'd signed up for a demand response option or solution saved enough electricity to power 260,000 homes!
Here are just some of the Québec companies who are helping to reduce the pressure on the grid during winter peaks.
Small changes, big impact
“The cold doesn’t scare us!” said Marc‑Antoine Bucci, a project and building management director at Groupe Robert. This family business specializing in food transport and storage has been helping mitigate winter peaks since 2016. How? By simply shutting off the refrigeration system at its Boucherville warehouse during peak periods. So far, this one action has netted the company credits of over $500,000 on its electricity bills!
Located in the Communauté métropolitaine de Québec, the Coopérative alimentaire des consommateurs de Lorette—better known as Convivio—operates three IGA Extra supermarkets. The company switches to generators that are programmed to take over from the grid during winter peaks. During winter 2021‑2022, despite record-breaking cold, the co‑op provided curtailment of 1,100 kW, which translated into a $70,000 credit on its electricity bill. That’s roughly 10% of its annual electricity costs! “This is an initiative that takes a very small investment and yields high returns,” said the company’s financial manager, Dominic Pilote.
Even an establishment like the Centre hospitalier universitaire Sainte-Justine manages to modulate its electricity use. A few years ago, measures were put in place to reduce power demand without compromising comfort or safety for staff and patients. During winter peaks, the hospital uses its generators to meet its electricity needs. Its electric boiler stops generating steam and the load of a cooler is reduced, allowing heat to be recovered. These efforts have procured CHU Sainte‑Justine over $2 million in electricity bill credits since it joined the movement to save power demand during winter peaks.
These various efforts have borne fruit: for winter 2023‑2024, participating companies are expected to curtail as much electricity as it would take to supply some 250,000 homes!
Every little bit counts
Although not all companies have joined the collective effort, you can do so on an individual basis by practising good habits at the office. Below are a few energy-wise actions that anyone can take:
- Turn off the lights when leaving a room.
- Put the computer to sleep when not in use and power it down at the end of each day.
- Keep air vents unobstructed.
- Turn down the heat during peak periods.
By working together, we can make a difference!
