Newsroom

    TORONTO, May 20 /CNW/ - From homeowners to school boards, to ski resort
operators, Hydro One customers across Ontario have achieved annual energy
savings of more than 400 million kilowatt-hours. That's enough electricity to
power approximately 35,000 homes for a year, resulting in greenhouse gas
emission savings of more than 260,000 tonnes of CO(2).
    "Hydro One customers across the province, whether they are businesses,
institutions, farms or residential customers, are conserving energy every
minute of every day," said Giuliana Rossini, Director Strategy and
Conservation Officer of Hydro One. "Our customers have responded so strongly
because conserving energy is a double win: it's great for the environment and
it pays off financially," said Rossini.
    Hydro One has enlisted 1.5 million participants in energy conservation
efforts with its own programs and in collaboration with the Ontario Power
Authority. These include reducing peak demand, shifting consumption to
off-peak periods, and retrofitting or installing equipment and systems using
more energy-efficient technologies.How did they do it?

    -  More than 50,000 old, energy-guzzling refrigerators, freezers and air
       conditioners have been picked up free of charge since 2006 through The
       Great Refrigerator Roundup.

    -  Business customers took up the offer of cash rebates to replace old
       inefficient equipment with energy-efficient technologies through the
       Electricity Retrofit Incentive Program. They replaced more than 60,000
       inefficient technologies by the end of 2008, receiving rebates of up
       to $120,000 per project.

    -  Approximately 20,000 customers, predominantly residential, chose to
       have a free thermostat with load control capability installed in their
       homes since 2006, through the Peaksaver program.

    -  Large business customers achieved 40 MW in peak reduction during last
       summer's peak demand period through the Double Return program.

    -  Approximately 2,100 small businesses received an energy audit and
       1,350 of them completed efficiency improvements through the Power
       Savings Blitz launched in 2008, offering small businesses an energy
       audit and up to $1,000 in free lighting retrofits.

    -  Nearly 10,000 customers have used the PowerSaver Plus online home
       energy audit and received valuable tips on how to lower their
       electricity consumption and bill.Hydro One is also focused on building a conservation culture inside the
company. Greener Choices, an internal energy efficiency and conservation
program, was launched in 2008 to encourage conservation among its employees,
and within its fleet and facilities.
    Hydro One delivers electricity safely, reliably and responsibly to homes
and businesses across the province of Ontario and owns and operates Ontario's
29,000 km high-voltage transmission network that delivers electricity to large
industrial customers and municipal utilities, and a 123,000 km low-voltage
distribution system that serves about 1.3 million end-use customers and
smaller municipal utilities in the province. Hydro One is wholly owned by the
Province of Ontario.
    For further information on Hydro One Energy Conservation programs, please
visit www.PowerSaver.ca or contact our Customer Communications Centre at
1-888-664-9376.