Back to Index

Peter Love

Chief Energy Conservation Officer

Calling All Ontarians: Take the “Ten Per Cent by 2007” Challenge

In Ontario, we can no longer take our energy supply for granted.

The Conservation Bureau’s mandate is to help consumers find ways to save energy and money through energy conservation and the efficient use of electricity.

As the old saying goes, “A penny saved is a penny earned.” True yesterday, true today, and true tomorrow. And so it goes that a kilowatt saved is also a kilowatt that doesn’t have to be generated. A saved kilowatt is cleaner and often cheaper than new supply. Best of all, it costs you nothing. 

Think about it.

There are several no-cost ways we would save kilowatts effortlessly if each of us...

·        turns off unnecessary lighting

·        turns down the thermostat by a couple of degrees when we’re not home, and during the night

·        uses cold water whenever possible to wash clothing

·        cooks with a microwave oven more often instead of turning on the stove

·        unplugs that old fridge in the basement that keeps two cans of pop and a jar of pickles nice and cold all year long.

And there are low-cost ways as well….

·        Purchase appliances with the Energy Star label.  It’s your guarantee of energy efficiency. 

·        Replace your incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs.

·        Upgrade your home’s insulation.

There is no question that in Ontario today, conserving energy is no longer an option. It’s a necessity. We need to become smarter about our electricity use. Last summer I issued an Electricity Conservation Challenge, urging commercial and institutional organizations to reduce their electricity consumption by 10 per cent. The Government of Ontario also plans to reduce the growth in electricity peak demand by five per cent across the province by 2007.

In the meantime, I am convinced that we can all become part of a new Ontario where conservation is entrenched in our culture. We will conserve energy in the same way that we recycle our pop cans and our cardboard. 

Balancing the energy equation between supply and demand doesn’t mean you have to be a math whiz. But I do believe in the power of numbers. Are you ready? I challenge all Ontarians to take the “Ten Per Cent By 2007” oath with me.  Think about the ways you use electricity in your home or business, and then think about easy ways you could cut that consumption by just ten per cent. Think about how many dollars it would put back into your pockets. What if every single person in Ontario did this?

I believe that Ontarians do want to save energy. That’s why we’ll continue to bring you easy and timely tips on how to use energy more wisely.