Three natural gas usage records shattered during recent winter cold snap, SaskEnergy says

As the frigid temperatures continue throughout the province, power outlets atmany Saskatchewan residencesand businesses areworking overtime.

SaskEnergy broke all-time natural gas usage records three timesover the holidays, whileSaskPowerexpects to see another winter peak record for the seventh year in a row.

Both companies attributed the higher consumption volumes to the low temperatures and the province's increased population.

• New power record set in Sask. due to increased demand, cold weather
• Sask. breaks summer power use record for 2nd time this month

Record natural gas consumption

According to SaskEnergy, daily natural gas consumption in the province set arecord of 1.43 PetaJoules (PJ) of natural gas. This record wasset duringthe 24-hour period between9 a.m. on Dec.26 and9 a.m. onDec. 27, breaking records that were set on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Each of the three records set this week surpassedthe former title holder of 1.33 PJ, which was set inthe winter of 2016-17.

"SaskEnergy's system is designed around this increased growth, ensuring additional capacity so that even on peak record daysthe system is able to provide more natural gas than required," stated aSaskEnergy news release.

SaskEnergy defines aPetaJouleasa unit of measurement that is equivalent to one million GigaJoules (GJ) of natural gas, noting the average Saskatchewan home consumes about 102 GJ of natural gas annually.

• SaskEnergy brings in $70M in profit

Be mindful of the environment

SaskPower has set consecutive record system loads each year since 2012.

On Jan. 12, 2017, the province reached an all-time high of 3,747 megawatts.

A spokesperson for the company said although consumption creates revenue for the Crown corporation, homeowners should be mindful of the environment.

"It's about being vigilant," said SaskPower spokesperson Jonathan Tremblay.

"It all contributesespecially now, because we have very few daylight hours and we're leaving the lights on for longer," he added.

Tips and tricks to save somecash

SaskPower recommends the following tohelp keep power usageand costdown:

• Turn down the thermostat when no one is home
• Plug in your car with a timer a vehicle only needs to be plugged in for four hours at a time
• Convert to LED lights if possible this can cut the electricity needed by 75 per cent
• Don't run your space heater all the time
• Only preheat your ovenif necessary
• Check that the damper is closed in the fireplace when not in use

More power-saving tips are available on SaskPower's website.