One million air conditioners..That’s the equivalent number of portable cooling units British Columbians turned on Monday night to beat the heat, according to utility provider, BC Hydro..Consequently, the province posted a record peak demand of more than 8,400 megawatts, the highest ever for August peak hourly demand..In a news release the Crown Corp. said it is also taking steps to protect the safety of its customers and employees, including cancelling or limiting the duration of planned outages where possible to “ensure customers have access to the electricity they need to keep cool.”.“Electricity demand is expected to remain high until temperatures decrease,” sometime later this week, it said..To that end, BC Hydro also announced plans to provide 8,000 air conditioners to low-income and ‘heat vulnerable people’ — presumably seniors — over the next three years. The offer is now available to eligible residents regardless of which utility they receive their electricity from..A total of 619 people died in BC during the 2021 ‘heat dome,’ prompting the province to introduce a coordinated heat alert and response system and spend $189 million for emergency preparedness, including cooling centres. Those were implemented in 2022. . 2021 HeatdomeThe 2021 heat dome over the West Coast. .While the demand for power is higher-than-average with the hot temperatures, BC Hydro assured customers its “renewable and reliable” hydroelectric system can meet the additional demand. About 98% of the province’s electricity comes from hydroelectric dams..Although demand on the electricity system is high in summer, it’s still only about three-quarters of winter peak loads. The highest demand for electricity is still in the winter months during the coldest and darkest days of the year.. BC heat domeBC heat dome casualty. .To save money BC Hydro recommends closing drapes and windows, which can block up to 65% of the heat and to keep doors and screens closed..And instead of resorting to AC, there are also good old-fashioned electrical fans. Running a fan for nine hours a day through the summer months costs just $7, it says.
