BCHydro PowerSmart

Explore tips

Kitchen

Small appliance hacks you probably don’t know – but should

Laundry

Get on a laundry kick
Portable fan and white squiggles radiating up with vibrant orange colour overlay

Heating

With great power comes great responsibility
Dave from BC Hydro pointing at text

Tools

Join Team Power Smart and earn $50

True or False

The average home has 40 lightbulbs.

On average, homes have 40 lightbulbs.

Open fridge with food items inside with green colour overlay

Kitchen

Don't leave your fridge door open
Dave from BC Hydro holding a power bar in front of a large screen TV

Save with Dave

Busting power wasters – 5 tips that save power and won’t cost you

Heating

Lower your heat, lower your costs
Dripping faucet in profile with blue colour overlay

Kitchen

Leaky faucet = leaky wallet
Old-fashioned TV and white squiggles radiating upward with light blue colour overlay

Electronics

Recycle or donate old TVs

Heating

The great (heat) escape

Tools

Looking for deals and instant rebates on energy efficient products?

Quick Q

Does it take more energy to keep a fridge cool when it's full, or when it's empty?

An empty fridge uses more energy - consider putting some jugs of water in the fridge.

Red alarm clock resting on white pillow

Heating

Save money while you sleep
Automated light switch with timer

Go automatic with sensors and timers

Lighting

Lighting
Laundry basket full of clothes and white squiggles radiating upwards with green colour overlay

Laundry

Dry full loads only

Kitchen

Don't give your fridge the cold shoulder
Water pressure gauge with white lines radiating upwards against a vibrant orange background

Water

How hot is too hot?

Heating

Upgrade your insulation and save

Heating

Winter is coming, we know what's coming with it

True or False

Game consoles require up to 40% more power than other streaming devices.

It's true - consider a tablet, Smart TV or laptop instead of a game console.

Washing machine with light blue colour overlay

Laundry

Have loads of fun with your laundry
Dave from BC Hydro demonstrating silicone sealing solutions to a couple in their kitchen

Save with Dave

Do you even draftproof? Four spots to seal up and save in your home

Heating

Better insulation, warmer winter
Dishes on a drying rack with a light blue colour overlay

Kitchen

Let your dishes dry themselves

Quick Q

ENERGY STAR® windows can cut your annual energy costs by up to...

You can cut your annual energy costs by up to 20% by making window upgrades!

Checker-patterned quilt with light orange colour overlay

Heating

Cuddle up with a blanket this winter
Hot water tank with red colour overlay

Don't get into hot water

Water

Water
Ice cubes with a light blue colour overlay

Kitchen

Make ice, ice baby

Electronics

Lower costs while you level-up

True or False

Baths use less electricity than showers.

Baths do not use less electricity than showers.

Dense layer of lint with light orange colour overlay

Laundry

Clean that lint filter

Lighting

Use natural light
Automated energy usage and cost calculator device

Electronics

How smart is your home?
Collection of painters' materials and a ladder in a bare, unfinished white room

Save with Dave

8 Energy and Money Saving Tips to Consider Before a Major Renovation

Heating

Always running around the house?
Round thermometer and white arrows pointing up and down with a vibrant orange overlay

Kitchen

Get a fridge thermometer

Water

Predict the future of your next bill

Quick Q

What appliance uses the most energy per use?

On average, the clothes dryer uses the most energy per use - it needs to generate a lot of heat.

Heating

Get your air flowing
Round thermostat knob with green colour overlay

Heating

A few degrees adds up to a lot of dollars
Dave from BC Hydro pointing up at hand-drawn dollar signs

Sweepstakes

Boost your
Power Smarts and win!

Enter contest
Toaster oven with door open with green colour overlay

Small, yet mighty

Kitchen

Kitchen

Water

Pad your pipes

True or False

Chest-styled freezers are more energy efficient than upright freezers.

Chest-styled freezers use up to 51% less energy than upright freezers.

Duster with a light blue colour overlay

Heating

Clean off those baseboard heaters
Baseboard heater with a vibrant orange colour overlay

Heating

Only heat the space you need

Electronics

Make TV watching a team sport

Tools

Planning a major renovation and don’t know where to start?

Quick Q

How much money could you save by replacing an incandescent light bulb with a LED bulb?

By replacing an incandescent light bulb with a LED bulb you could save $100 over it's lifetime.

Laptop with white lines radiating outward with a faded orange colour overlay

Electronics

Time for a computer upgrade?
Stack of towels with a vibrant green colour overlay

Laundry

Toss a towel in
Dave from BC Hydro speaking to three young people on a couch in the living room

Save with Dave

Attention renters: You can save on electricity, too

Kitchen

Thaw food in the fridge
Nightlight switched on with soft light and white lines radiating outwards against a light blue background

Lighting

Keep the monsters away
Pink travel suitcase with handle and woven straw hat resting on it against a faded orange background

Heating

Leaving home?
Closed window with light behind

Eliminate drafts for huge savings

Heating

Heating

Laundry

Save up to $100 on drying your laundry

Quick Q

What's the best way to boil your water?

An electric kettle uses 50% less energy than a stove top.

Small square thermostat displaying the word SAVE and wearing a toque against a blue background

Heating

Baby, it's cold outside
Shower head with water stream with a light blue colour overlay

Water

Get water-saving showerheads and aerators

Lighting

Turn off the lights, turn off the lights

True or False

Dust stops heat from being distributed effectively.

Wipe down the surface of your baseboard heaters to get rid of dust and optimize heat distribution.

Electric kettle with vibrant orange colour overlay

Kitchen

Warming up with a cup of tea?
Curtains on a thin curtain rod with blue colour overlay

Heating

Cover your windows

Laundry

You're hot then you're cold

Tools

How can I
track my
energy use?

Quick Q

Which of these uses the most energy over 6 hours?

Your TV uses more electricity than a laptop, so turn it off when you're not watching!

Dave from BC Hydro with middle-aged couple in their dining room in front of a window

Save with Dave

7 little (but energy-saving) things anyone with baseboard heaters needs to know
Washing machine with blue colour overlay

Don't overload your dryer

Laundry

Laundry
Light bulb

Lighting

One bulb to rule them all

Electronics

Reduce your electricity use by up to 25%

Water

Take shorter showers
Slow cooker and circular illustration with faded orange colour overlay

Kitchen

Take it slow

Heating

Install ENERGY STAR® windows and doors

Kitchen

Allow us to break the ice

True or False

If your home is letting cold air gust in, you're wasting heat.

Sealing gaps and cracks can help reduce heat loss by up to 10%.

Tools

Want to reduce your business' energy costs?

Water

Do you need a new water heater?
Incandescent lightbulb with faded orange colour overlay

Lighting

LEDS are the new incandescents

Quick Q

What is the recommended length of a shower?

The recommended length of a shower is 5 minutes.

Laundry

Try not to overdry

Heating

Take control with a smart thermostat

True or False

It takes less electricity to wash clothes in hot water than it does in cold water.

It takes a fair bit of energy to heat water, so washing in cold water saves energy.

Kitchen

Save time, save energy
Close view of power strip with blue colour overlay

Electronics

Use an advanced power strip
Side view of task light with vibrant orange colour overlay

Lighting

Use task lighting for your winter project
Chest-style freezer with lid open and blue colour overlay

Kitchen

Consider a chest-style freezer

Kitchen

Run your dishwasher full
Double door fridge with blue colour overlay

Kitchen

New fridge, new you

Quick Q

How can you adjust your thermostat to save money while you sleep?

Decrease your thermostat by 1-2 degrees at night to save on your energy bill.

Heating

Make a clear difference

Kitchen

Do you really need a second fridge?