ENVIRONMENT
Making Power Smart moves

THERE ARE still several days left in B.C. Hydro’s Power
Smart Month, which gives you lots of time to make some
cost-saving changes around your home.

Peggy
Trendeli-Whittaker

Individuals, companies and in-
stitutions seem to be jumping on
the Power Smart bandwagon with
great enthusiasm — last year in
B.C., 734 million kilowatt hours
were conserved, which is more
than enough electricity to service
the city of Kamloops for a year.

Goodwood Property Invest-
ments recently invested $325,000
in energy-efficient improvements
to the Riverside Mews complex at
2046 Dollarten Hwy. in North
Vancouver.

Aided by a B.C. Hydro grant,
Goodwood owner Pilu Hudda
ordered changes that included
draft-proofing, insulation, ven-
tiletion, thermostat controls,
double-glazed windows and dou-
ble doors.

As a result, each residential unit
is expected to show 15% to 20%
in enérgy savings, and one tenant
has already reported saving $150
on his electrical costs over the past
winter.

On a smaller scale, we made a
lot of Power Smart moves when
we moved into our townhouse in
February.

While I can’t claim to be an
energy-efficient person by nature,
growing up around a father who
would follow me around and
pointedly turn lights off while
soliloquizing about the hydro bill,
and now living with a mate who is
an avid conservationist, has meant
that 1 am_ power-conscious by

- osmosis if nothing else.

Most of our lighting fixtures

now boast compact fluorescent

- bulbs, and we have decreased the
wattage in the lamps that are still
incandescent.

Peter lowered the temperature
on the hot water tank (between
54° and 60°C is recommended)
and insulated the pipes running
from the tank. He also cleans out
the hot water tank every few
months.

We bought low-flow
showerheads and tap nozzles, an
energy-efficiént refrigerator and
an electric kettle (to replace the
less-efficient stovetop model that

ECOINFO

was mysteriously left on the burn-
er until the bottom burnt out).

And with the colder weather
now upon us, sliding doors have
been readjusted, doors sealed, and
curtains are closed earlier and in-
terior doors kept shut to minimize
heat loss from the home.

Our equal payment plan to
Hydro, based on how much power
the former occupants consumed,
is $93 per month.

However, we've already banked
a credit of well over $400 with the
utility company by cutting back
on our energy use.

Of course, we still have the
chilliest months of the year yet to
weather, so we'll have to be even
more vigilant about our power use
in the coming winter if we want to
keep up our gocd record.

There are a lot more ways you
can save energy and money
around the home. Below are just a
few suggestions from B.C. Hydro,
and you cau get more information
by calling the Power Sinart line at
293-7777.

B.C. Hydro’s goal is to save
5,600 mitlion kilowatt hours each
year by the year 2010 — almost as
much as the electricity consumed
annually by the cities of Rich-
mond and Vancouver combined.

@ Dishwashers are more efficient
than washing dishes by hand —
but only if you wait until they are
full before turning them on.

@ You can save about $200 a
year by using a timer for your hot
tub or spa, running the pump six
to eight hours a day instead of all
the time.

@ By setting your thermostat
back from 20°C to 16°C when
you go to bed, you can reduce
your heating costs by well over
10%.

@ Look into laundry detergent
specifically formulated for cold-
water washing. If you have an
electric heater, using cold water
for washing and rinsing your
clothes in the washing machine
can save you $65 a year.

@ Remember to compare the
EnerGuide ratings when you are
shopping for a new major appli-
ance.

The rating will tell you the con-
sumption of kilowatt hours per
month based on typical use of
that appliance.

@ Make sure the door seals on
your refrigerator or freezer fit
snugly, and save money by mak-
ing sure the temperature is set ap-
propriately (4°C for the fridge,
-18°C for the freezer section).

@ if you have a fridge in the
basement that you're not using
much, unplug it and save about
$100 each year.

Call. the Recycling Hotline
(732-9253) for the names of ap-
pliance pick-up services that will
recycle the fridge and the freons it
contains.

School Speakers

Speakers on local environmental
issues are available through the
North Shore Recycling Program.

Recycling Program volunteer
coordinator Sue Diewert heads up
an excellent program for elemen-
tary school classrooms, and pres-
entations for high school students
are also available.

To book an elementary school
speaker, leave a message for Sue
at 984-9730. For information on
the high school program, call me
at 986-8123.

Caring for our Community
is a community effort -

nd North Vancouverites put a lot
mas into their community.

District of North Vancouver Council and
staff are actively supported by volunteers
who serve on a variety of Advisory
Committees, which focus on Community
Services, Urban Design, Planning,
Parks, Library, Recreation, Heritage,
Family and Youth Justice, Board of
Variance, Court of Revision and
Disability Issues.
These volunteers are your friends and
neighbours and are committed to
working towards a better community for

If you are a resident of the District of North Vancouver and would like to become
more involved in your community through volunteering to serve on an Advisory

Committee, here's how:

® pick up an application form from the District Hall, District recCentres and Libraries
® complete the form and send it in by November 16
Appointments to Advisory Committees are made by Council in December.
For more information, call Legislative Services at 987-7131

NEWS photo Mike Wakefiald

Gift givers

LIONS GATE Hospital Foundation recently received a $15,000
cheque from the Nerth Shore Shrine Club No. 712: (left to
tight) head nurse Joanne Kell and Lynette Sest accept the
funds from Shriner president Donald Boothe. The. money
covers the costs of building a family room and kitchen for
parents who want to stay ciose to a chitd in LGH.

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