Top 10 reasons Hydro Ottawa is a sustainability champion

OTTAWA, Nov. 20, 2014 /CNW/ - Today, Hydro Ottawa will be receiving the Sustainability Leader Award at the 2014 Best Ottawa Business Awards (BOBs) for its commitment to environmental stewardship. The award recognizes a local company that integrates and advances sustainability in its business practices.

This acknowledgement shines a light on the variety of Hydro Ottawa's green initiatives, but check out some of the most interesting specifics below.

1. It leads the province in renewable energy. Hydro Ottawa is the largest municipally owned producer of green power in Ontario, and its capacity is growing. Just this year, a new Chaudière Falls generating plant was announced that will be able to power an additional 20,000 homes per year.
   
   
2. Hydro Ottawa operates two landfill-gas-to-energy facilities at the Trail Road and Laflèche Landfills. Together, these facilities help to reduce greenhouse gases by almost 300,000 metric tonnes of CO2 per year.
   
   
3. Through conservation programs, promotion and other initiatives, Hydro Ottawa has helped homeowners reduce their electricity use by an average of 14 per cent in the past 10 years.
   
   
4. Since 2005, the company has engaged more than 161,000 Ottawa students, their parents and teachers in a dialogue about electricity conservation and safety though its in-class presentations and teacher resources.
   
   
5. Hydro Ottawa planted 14,414 trees in the city this year on behalf of customers who converted to E-Billing.
   
   
6. Hydro Ottawa is greening its fleet with 74  low-carbon vehicles, including hybrids, flex-fuel and electric vehicles, and those with battery technology.
   
   
7. It helped 900 small businesses upgrade their lighting through the saveONenergy Small Business Lighting program in 2013, while larger commercial customers completed 696 retrofit projects.
   
   
8. Hydro Ottawa made 35 per cent of its purchases locally in 2013 – a four per cent increase over the previous year.
   
   
9. The company has helped more than 82,000 customers  'Go Paperless' – one of the highest E-Billing adoption rates of an electric utility in Canada.
   
   
10. Hydro Ottawa supports electric vehicle research. It will soon be releasing a joint report on electric mobility and adoption and prediction, setting the stage to ensure infrastructure is in place for EVs down the road.
    

Image with caption: "The ring dam at Chaudiere Falls hydroelectric generating station. (CNW Group/Hydro Ottawa Holding Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20141120_C5229_PHOTO_EN_8339.jpg

SOURCE: Hydro Ottawa Holding Inc.

Media contact: Daniel Séguin, Manager, Media and Public Affairs, Hydro Ottawa, Tel: [phone] ext. 7684, [email protected]