Be a Scrooge! Save Electricity and Money this Season

Toronto Hydro's Top 5 Holiday Conservation Tips

TORONTO, Dec. 10, 2012 /CNW/ - Brrrr! The weather outside is frightful, so cuddle up and take a peek at Toronto Hydro-Electric System Limited's (Toronto Hydro) holiday conservation wish list and do-it-yourself decorations reusing and recycling things around the home.  Greening the holidays is easy - conserve electricity to give back to the environment and there just may be some extra dollars left for those last-minute presents.

Toronto Hydro has added two new instructional videos for 'green' holiday decorations. While decorating, remember LED lights for the tree, and outside, are best.  Inside, Santa will be looking for CFLs (compact fluorescent light) bulbs.  Wondering what to do with that old incandescent bulb? How about a frosty snowman ornament?  To see how, visit torontohydro.com/newsroom.  While you're there, check out how to make a beautiful tree out of recycled cards and paper.

Toronto Hydro's 2012 conservation wish list:

1. Use electricity during off-peak times.  Electricity rates on weekends and statutory holidays are always off-peak, which means that your electricity is billed at the lowest rates, all day, and this will help you save money on your hydro bill.  For the remainder of the season, December 15, 16, 22, 23, 25, 26, 29, 30 - as well as January 1 - are all designated off-peak days and electricity is priced at the lowest cost.  Winter electricity rates are now in effect until April 30, 2013.  For more information on Time-of-Use (TOU) rates go to torontohydro.com/TOU
   
2. Use light emitting diode (LED) festive lights when decorating indoors and outdoors - they use up to 90 per cent less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than incandescent lights¹.  For example, 600 C7 incandescent holiday light bulbs would cost approximately $90 to light up for one month; 600 mini incandescents would cost just over $6; and 600 holiday LED lights would only be about $1².  LED lights are more durable, with no filaments or glass bulbs to break. They also produce minimal heat and are therefore cooler to the touch and less of a fire risk.
3. Dress warmer, use area rugs and turn the temperature down.  If your feet are cold, your body will feel cold.  During the winter months, as much as 3 per cent of the energy your furnace uses can be saved by lowering your thermostat by one degree. For the average electrically heated detached house built before 1990, that could be a savings of approximately $73.39³ per year. It all adds up!
4. Make one of the green DIY ornaments featured this year!  All of the tutorials can be found at youtube.com/torontohydro
5. Use a timer or programmable power bar on decorative lights and the festive tree.  Set it so they only turn on during peak "family times" and turn off when everyone has gone to bed.

For more ways to save money and electricity go to torontohydro.com.

Finally, Toronto Hydro wants to remind people to work and play safe.  With all the festivities, safety may not be top of mind.  Remind your children to avoid playing around any electrical equipment or structures, and when decorating be mindful of both overhead and underground hazards.

¹ LED efficiency stats: lighting industry standard calculations and Natural Resources Canada.
² LED costs based on 30 day use at 6 hrs/day at a cost of $0.12 kWh
³ Source: Office of Energy Efficiency - Natural Resources Canada.

About Toronto Hydro
The principal business of the Corporation and its subsidiaries is the distribution of electricity by Toronto Hydro-Electric System Limited. Toronto Hydro-Electric System owns and operates an electricity distribution system, which delivers electricity to approximately 712,000 customers located in the City of Toronto. It is the largest municipal electricity distribution company in Canada and distributes approximately 18% of the electricity consumed in the Province of Ontario.

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Video with caption: "Make a beautiful tree decoration out of old greeting cards. Toronto Hydro shows you how.". Video available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/cgi-bin/playback.cgi?file=20121210_C7709_VIDEO_EN_21748.mp4&posterurl=http://photos.newswire.ca/images/20121210_C7709_PHOTO_EN_21748.jpg&clientName=Toronto%20Hydro%20Corporation&caption=Make%20a%20beautiful%20tree%20decoration%20out%20of%20old%20greeting%20cards%2E%20Toronto%0D%0AHydro%20shows%20you%20how%2E&title=TORONTO%20HYDRO%20CORPORATION%20%2D%20How%20to%20make%20a%20decorative%20holiday%20tree&headline=Be%20a%20Scrooge%21%20Save%20Electricity%20and%20Money%20this%20Season

Video with caption: "Recycle old incandescent light bulbs into snowman ornaments! Toronto Hydro shows you how. ". Video available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/cgi-bin/playback.cgi?file=20121210_C7709_VIDEO_EN_21749.mp4&posterurl=http://photos.newswire.ca/images/20121210_C7709_PHOTO_EN_21749.jpg&clientName=Toronto%20Hydro%20Corporation&caption=Recycle%20old%20incandescent%20light%20bulbs%20into%20snowman%20ornaments%21%0D%0AToronto%20Hydro%20shows%20you%20how%2E%20&title=TORONTO%20HYDRO%20CORPORATION%20%2D%20How%20to%20make%20a%20decorative%20holiday%20tree&headline=Be%20a%20Scrooge%21%20Save%20Electricity%20and%20Money%20this%20Season

Image with caption: "Make a beautiful tree decoration out of old greeting cards. Toronto Hydro shows you how. (CNW Group/Toronto Hydro Corporation)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20121210_C7709_PHOTO_EN_21747.jpg

Image with caption: "Recycle old incandescent light bulbs into snowman ornaments! Toronto Hydro shows you how. (CNW Group/Toronto Hydro Corporation)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20121210_C7709_PHOTO_EN_21742.jpg

SOURCE: Toronto Hydro Corporation

Emma Sharpe, Toronto Hydro
[email protected]

W: 416-542-2654
C: 416-903-7823