How much CO2 is in our electricity?
BC Hydro electricity comes from hydro dams which produce 24 grams of CO2 per kilowatt hour (kWh) . These dams don’t produce all of the electricity we use in British Columbia (BC). The BC government imports about 12% of our electricity from Alberta.
Alberta produces electricity from a mix of coal and gas which produces 861 grams of CO2 per kilowatt hour. The BC government buys it in the early morning hours when it is really cheap. The gas and coal burners take a lot of energy to start up again, so they have to run them 24 hours a day. There are very few electricity users in the middle of the night, so Alberta sells the electricity at cheap rates because there is no demand.
The BC government buys cheap electricity (created with CO2 pollution) to sell it at a higher price. They do it to make money!
If we reduce our electricity consumption and we stop the government buying electricity, we’ll reduce our carbon footprint.
Find out how to save Electricity
Treehugger.com
This website is good for people who have already taken the first steps and want to learn more about reducing electricity consumption. They have ideas like using a solar battery charger to recharge batteries for toys and other electronic items like cameras.
BC Hydro
This website recommends things that will save electricity. There are tips to save energy, quizzes about your energy use, and information about rebates and saving money.
101 easy ways to
save (eletricity)
It is good because there are 101 suggestions on it.