Ontario Communities Power Down for Megawatt Reduction Challenge

TORONTO, Aug. 16 /CNW/ - The strong results in the 2010 Megawatt Reduction Challenge demonstrate that electricity conservation is a key priority for Ontario's municipalities and their residents. While Goderich walked away as this year's winner, there were 61 communities that participated in the friendly competition to reduce as much electricity as possible on August 11 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

"The Community Challenge shows that consumers are taking an active role in their energy use," said IESO President and CEO Paul Murphy. "Engaged consumers who are willing to reduce their consumption benefit the reliability of the power system and the environment."

The competition is part of the five-month Power Pledge campaign, which encourages all Ontarians to commit to a few simple conservation actions to save money and help protect the environment, and is a partnership among the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), the Ontario Power Authority (OPA), the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) and the Electricity Distributors Association (EDA).

The IESO served as referee for the Megawatt Reduction Challenge. By a using similar day as a comparator, the IESO was able to measure each participating municipality's results. Full results of the Megawatt Challenge can be found here: http://www.ieso.ca/2010.Community.Challenge

The IESO is responsible for managing Ontario's bulk electricity power system and operating the wholesale market. For more information, please visit www.ieso.ca.

For further information: Alexandra Campbell, 416-506-2806, [email protected]