Communicator, Fall/Winter 2014

Fall/Winter 2014
IN THIS ISSUE:
 Orillia Power goes solar!
 Win with peaksaverPLUS
 New TOU & RPP Rates - November 1, 2014
 Tips for cold weather
 What lurks under your snow banks?
Orillia Power goes solar!
An important new venture with the City of Orilia is
taking place in Orillia. Four buildings - Barnfield
Point Rec Centre, Orillia Power Service Centre,
Rotary Place and Teletech/Nordia will all be generating power by solar by the end of 2014.
Between the buildings there are 4,268 roof top
panels and once completed, they are expected to
generate more than 1,400 megawatt hours of
clean energy per year - enough to power 1,700
average Canadian homes for one year.
WIN with peaksaverPLUS
Sign up now for peaksaverPLUS and enter to win
great prizes. By participating in the peaksaverPLUS
program you can enter to win an iPad Air or an iPad
Mini. To participate in the program, you must have
either central air conditioning or an electric hot water
heater. Register for peaksaverPLUS today at
www.ccmanager.ca or by calling 1-888-985-3465.
Look for contest details at:
www.orilliapower.ca/conservation.aspx
Contest expires December 31, 2014
2015 Energy Conservation
Calendar Contest
Orillia Power has once again sponsored a student art
contest as part of an energy conservation awareness
program. The last day to enter the contest was September 30, 2014.
The added generation will boost revenues to OPC
which in turn will mean a greater dividend to its
sole shareholder, the City of Orillia to assist in
providing more services to the people of Orillia.
AVOID THE WORST, PUT SAFETY FIRST!
Local students from grades 1 to 6 have submitted
many great entries for the contest and we wish to
thank all of the participants. The winning artwork will
be featured in a fullcolour calendar for
2015. Watch for the
winners to be announced in November and winning entries will be posted
on our website at
www.orilliapower.ca.
URB Orillia 30244-I-0068
New Rates - November 1, 2014
New TOU rates are now in effect for most households and
small businesses. The price for consumers increased by
approximately $2.03 per month the “Electricity” line and
about 1.7% on the total bill for a typical 800 kWh consumption per month.
As of November 1, the hours for mid-peak and on-peak prices also change to the winter time-of-use hours. The lowestpriced, off-peak period remains from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. on
weekdays and all day weekends and holidays. (See chart
below).
The OEB reviews electricity prices twice each year based on
updated cost estimates. This is intended to help smooth
changes in prices over time. For more information, visit the
OEB website at www.ontarioenergyboard.ca
Time-of-Use Pricing Guide
Prices subject to change May 1 and November 1 of each year
Mid-Peak
11.4¢/kWh
Off-Peak
7.7¢/kWh
On-Peak
14.0¢/kWh
TOU Prices as of November 1, 2014
tips for
cold weather
Weatherizing your home can help to significantly
help to reduce your energy bills.
 Check for air leaks around ventilation pipes, dryer exhaust
vents, drains, fireplace dampers, windows and door jams.
 Seal air leaks in duct work, plumbing, electrical outlets and
light fixtures with caulking.
 All exterior doors, windows, attic entrances and baseboards
should be sealed with weather stripping or caulked.
 Attic insulation, including the door or hatch should be at the
recommended levels for optimum insulation.
 Keep your curtains closed at night to keep out the cold.
Open them in the daytime to let the warm sunshine heat up
the room.
 A few simple and inexpensive changes, can help keep you
warm and reduce your overall electricity bill.
Streetlight out?
Well-lit areas and functioning streetlights are
important for everyone’s safety. If you notice
a street light that is not working or malfunctioning within the City of Orillia, please call the City at
705-326-4585 or email publicworks@orillia.ca. The City
of Orillia will document your concern and will then send
a request to OPDC to repair the lights in question.
AVOID THE WORST, PUT SAFETY FIRST!
What Lurks Under Your Snow Banks?
Well here we go again! Once again a Canadian Winter is on its
way, and there are a number of things we all do to prepare for
the upcoming season. All the leaves are gone, the pools are
emptied and covered and all the summer toys have been stored
away. Now the winter preparations begins. Set our snow shovels at the ready, complete the winter maintenance on the snow
blower and attempt to convince your spouse that the hard work
is done, they just have to move the snow. REMEMBER
LAST WINTER?
What Orillia Power would like to ask of you this year as part of
your winter preparations, is to have a plan as to where you
might pile your snow. Equally as important as it is to ensure that
all gas exhaust pipes are clear of snow, and fire hydrants are
maintained for emergency access, those large green boxes that
may be on your property that carry electricity to your house also
need to be clear of snow.
In a number of cases in the
past years these boxes have
disappeared under large
snow banks, and as much as
snow is cold to the touch a
snow bank like an igloo will
cause a transformer to build
up excessive heat. Also in the
past winters those large snow
banks were the demise of a number of
transformers due to impacts from truck
mounted blades and loader buckets.
This winter if you are looking to hire a
contractor, do them a big favor and advise
them of any utility box that may be on
your property. Take pictures of their locations and encourage them not to pile the
snow on top of them or block access to
them. Should you or one of your neighbors require an emergency outage due to
flooding or fire and the electrical equipment is not accessible,
valuable time is lost for those first responders. Help us to help
you, please consider a snow removal plan for this winter and
have a safe winter season.
Submitted by Don Westgarth, Supervisor of Distribution Lines
Service + safety go hand-in-hand
Part of Orillia Power’s mission and vision statement is safety and
providing quality service. Daily, employees are responsible for
operating the business and maintaining the electric system efficiently and effectively. Each task is executed with a focus on
safety above all else. The safety of our employees and customers is a priority we take seriously because lives depend on it!
Orillia Power Corporation
360 West St. S., P.O. Box 398 Orillia ON L3V 6J9
Phone: 705-326-7315 Fax: 705-326-0800
info@orilliapower.ca
www.orilliapower.ca
URB Orillia 30244-I-0066