CENTRE WELLINGTON – Water use is up, and hydro use is down in Centre Wellington since emergency measures were put in place in mid-March to stem the spread of COVID-19.
As businesses closed and residents hunkered down at home, there’s been a noticeable change in hydro usage, said Wayne Dyce, president of Centre Wellington Hydro.
“Industrial and commercial usage has gone down,” he told the Advertiser on April 8.
“I attribute that to our industrial and commercial customers that have slowed or stopped operations.”
He didn’t have data for residential use yet, “but I do expect it is increasing. But overall, the total load is down.”
It’s manageable right now, but local hydro use could surge if the lockdown continues into the summer.
“My concern in summer is with air conditioning in homes if we continue to work from home,” said Dyce.
He cringed at the thought of an overloaded system and possible blackout scenario.
“There was the blackout, and the ice storm and they were serious and challenging to deal with. COVID-19 just adds layers of complexity to these kinds of emergencies,” he said.
Dyce encourages local customers to visit the Centre Wellington Hydro website and check their daily usage through the “customer connect” portal.
The advantage is that it’s easy to see the cost of using hydro during on and off-peak hours, he said.
Though Centre Wellington Hydro is now charging off-peak rates at all times after a directive from the province, it’s still a worthwhile exercise, he insists.
“When they monitor their usage, they can understand how much they use and when they use it,” said Dyce.
“And they can see what’s wasting power, like that old fridge in the basement maybe. Then, by summer, if they manage their hydro usage, they can understand the savings when they raise the thermostat by just one or two degrees.”
Also on the website is information about cost-saving programs for low-income clients. Criteria have been adjusted since the pandemic so more people can qualify, Dyce said.
Colin Baker, managing director of infrastructure services for Centre Wellington Township, said water usage has increased by five per cent in the last four weeks compared to the same period last year.
“We’re a growing community with new homes and many residents have moved in over the last 12 months,” said Baker.
“And of course, as people are working from home and staying at home, you’d expect it to go up.”
Industrial and commercial water use is down, but not enough to offset the residential increase.
“Typical demand is lower through the week and increases on Saturday and Sunday. For the last four weeks it’s been a straight line,” he said.
He said wastewater flows typically mirror water usage and they are up as well.
Baker expects higher water use in any summer, with lawn and garden watering, sports field irrigation, pools, and splash pads and expects to see that this year too.
“We’re not anticipating any problems but we’re keeping an eye,” he said. “When we get closer to summer, we’ll promote water use restrictions and water conservation.”
Centre Wellington Wastewater Treatment Plant, Fergus (Photo by Keegan Taylor)
