Do you turn out the lights when you leave a room?
Do you read or understand your B.C. Hydro bill?
Do you think about the price of electricity and how much
your home’s electrical equipment is costing while you sleep?
These were just a few of the questions discussed at a recent
dinner I attended with local housing experts, engineers, and a representative
of Tesla. Yes, that Tesla.
We weren’t there to talk just about cars. Rather, we were
there to hear about innovative technologies being developed by Tesla and other
companies focused on renewable energy and sustainable building systems.
As the conversation progressed, it became apparent that how
we generate and store energy could have significant impacts on how we live and
move about in the future.
But getting back to B.C. Hydro bills.
While waiting for the main course, I mentioned how I assumed
electricity consumed during evenings and other off-peak times was less
expensive than that consumed at peak times.
“Wrong” someone replied.
While smart meters have given B.C. Hydro the ability to
charge different rates for peak and non-peak usage, unlike in London, Eng. or many
other world cities, our hydro costs are not at all related to when we turn on
the washing machine or electric heater.
Later that evening, I decided to explore B.C. Hydro’s
website to see if I could learn more about how I’m charged for electricity, and
what I might do to reduce monthly bills.
I discovered that everyone can now monitor electricity usage
with B.C. Hydro’s online electricity tracking tools, which allow us to examine
how the seasons and different household activities can affect electricity
consumption.
This information can then be used to change habits and in
turn reduce the amount of electricity consumed.
To start tracking your energy consumption, you just need to
set up an online account.
This will also allow you to learn about the “energy
vampires” that suck electrical power from appliances when not in use. For
example, mobile phone chargers that are left plugged in after your phone is
disconnected continue to consume energy. Who knew?
It is estimated that phone chargers and other appliances and
electronics that are plugged in, but not in use, can easily add an extra 10 per
cent to your monthly BC Hydro bill.
To minimize these extra charges we should unplug TVs and
appliances we rarely use, use more power strips that can be easily turned on
and off, set computers to sleep mode when not in use and upgrade older,
power-consuming electronics and appliances.
Now getting back to Tesla.
Elon Musk is getting into the solar power industry. He has
started to manufacture solar roof shingles that can be integrated with in-home
battery storage units. Musk envisions a system that will eventually turn
homeowners into their own utilities.
We did of course discuss cars and learned that Tesla will
soon manufacture large trucks and buses as well as cars. It will also continue
to promote its autopilot feature since it makes cars significantly safer than
when a person is driving by themselves.
Sadly, my older Tesla does not have autopilot, but my next
one will.
One of the dinner guests, Mayor Gregor Robertson, described
Vancouver’s success in requiring developers to install electric charging
outlets in at least 20 per cent of the parking spaces in new building garages.
While some developers were initially skeptical about this requirement, this is
no longer the case. Many buyers and renters in new buildings are very pleased
to be able to plug in their electric cars.
However, residents of older condominium and rental buildings
are not as fortunate. Few buildings have electrical outlets in garages, and
installing them could be difficult, especially if there is insufficient
capacity in the building’s electrical system.
There is also the added complication of determining how to
charge those who do plug in cars in communal parking garages.
I challenged the Tesla representative to come up with some
solutions.
So, don’t be surprised if in a few years you see a lot more
solar panels attached to Vancouver apartment buildings, charging storage
batteries, which in turn charge autonomous driving Teslas and other electric
vehicles. It’s just a matter of time.
michaelarthurgeller@gmail.com
@michaelgeller
© 2016 Vancouver Courier - See more at:http://www.vancourier.com/opinion/getting-charged-up-about-electricity-1.2625379#sthash.MnyUrMZB.dpufhttp://www.vancourier.com/opinion/getting-charged-up-about-electricity-1.2625379#sthash.MnyUrMZB.dpuf
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