As 2021 draws to a close, multiple days of extreme cold have resulted in a new peak in power consumption for Saskatchewan. At 5:27 p.m. on December 29, 2021, Saskatchewan homes and businesses reached 3,868 megawatts (MW) in power use.

The previous record of 3,792 MW was reached four years ago to the day, on Dec. 29, 2017. In total, the record was beaten by 76 MW, or the equivalent power use of approximately 76,000 homes.

Saskatchewan broke the summer record this year with a peak load of 3,543 MW on June 30.

“SaskPower continues to see an increase in power demand in Saskatchewan as we add new customers to our grid,” said Kory Hayko, Vice President of Transmission and Industrial Services at SaskPower. “We are committed to meeting the demands of this growth by investing in our generation infrastructure to ensure safe, reliable, and cost-effective power for Saskatchewan.”

To meet growing power demand, SaskPower plans to expand its generation capacity from approximately 5,000 MW now to 7,000 MW by 2030 while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 per cent from 2005 levels.

In extreme temperatures, SaskPower encourages its customers to take very easy steps to conserve power and save on their bills:

• Turn down the thermostat when no one is home or consider investing in a smart thermostat to ensure heat is only being used when its needed. Customers could save up to two per cent on their heating costs simply by lowering their household temperature one degree during the overnight period.
• Utilize a timer for your block heater – cars only need to be plugged in for four hours to realize the benefit of a block heater.
• Invest in LED light bulbs around the house. LEDs use approximately one quarter the power than traditional incandescent bulbs.

For more power saving tips, visit saskpower.com/efficiency.

At a glance...

• Saskatchewan’s new power use record of 3,868 MW was set on December 29, 2021 at 5:27 p.m.
• The increase of 76 MW over the previous record represents the electricity needed to power approximately 76,000 Saskatchewan homes
• Visit saskpower.com/efficiency for tips on power conservation