BC Hydro is highlighting the big power demands during this province-wide cold snap.
The utility says they saw a peak of over 9,500 kilowatts in the one hour period from 5 pm to 6pm Monday night.
That’s a thousand megawatts – or 11% – more electricity than the province used at the peak the previous Monday.
BC Hydro says three major factors can help residents make reductions in power use: washing clothes in cold water, turning off the heat-dry function on dishwashers and using a programmable thermostat so the house isn’t being heated when it’s empty.