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BC Hydro says COVID-19 has shifted electricity usage across BC

British Columbian electricity use has changed alongside daily habits as the impact of COVID-19 continues to be felt.

BC Hydro is reporting although residential electricity use is at normal levels for this time of year, the time of day it gets used has changed.

Weekday electricity use is now peaking later in the morning and earlier in the evening.

This means electricity use has shifted to something closer to typical weekend patterns.

Because of the lack of workday commuting, 40 percent of British Columbians are waking up later on weekdays, and over 60 percent of those are waking up more than an hour later than usual.

Nearly 45 percent of British Columbians say they are eating breakfast at a later time, and 24 percent said they are showering less often and for shorter periods of time in the morning than they used to.

End-of-day rituals have changed as well, with almost a quarter of British Columbians making dinner earlier than before COVID.

People in the province are watching more television than they used to, and they are staying up later to do it.

60% of those surveyed reporting watching more TV than pre-pandemic, and 30% of British Columbians said they go to bed later than usual.

To save energy, BC Hydro recommends using a laptop instead of a desktop computer, consider cooking with smaller appliances, and to stream TV shows from a device like a smart TV instead of power-hungry game consoles.

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Justin Madu
Justin Madu
Justin is an anchor and reporter with MyPGNow. Born in Kelowna, he has lived in Prince George for over fifteen years. He is a graduate of the UNBC English BA program.

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