New BC Hydro program aims to cut energy use with free smart thermostats

British Columbians can now register for a free smart thermostat as BC Hydro launches a new program aimed at lowering energy bills and helping manage electricity demand.

The utility announced Monday it is partnering with Newfoundland-based Mysa and Quebec-based Sinopé Technologies to provide up to five free thermostats to eligible customers with electric heating. The devices are expected to be available in October.

According to BC Hydro, approximately 800,000 homes in British Columbia—more than 40 per cent of all residential households—use electric heating.

“Smart thermostats are a simple but powerful way for customers to manage their energy use while helping reduce peak demand across the system,” said Charlotte Mitha, BC Hydro’s president and CEO, in a statement.

The free smart thermostat program is part of BC Hydro’s Power Smart 2.0 plan, a $1-billion investment over three years designed to help customers conserve energy and save money.

The devices, valued at approximately $350 per household, will include free shipping and come pre-enrolled in BC Hydro’s Peak Saver program, which provides annual rewards of $50 to $100 in exchange for helping reduce electricity demand.

Nearly 200,000 BC Hydro customers already participate in the Peak Saver program. Through this new initiative, BC Hydro says it’s hoping to enrol an additional 75,000 households.

The utility says the initiative is expected to help it reach its target of achieving 800 megawatts of peak-capacity savings by 2030, reducing the need for new generation and infrastructure projects.

B.C.’s Energy and Climate Solutions Minister Adrian Dix applauded the thermostat giveaway on Monday.

“By partnering with Canadian companies to deliver practical, cost-saving technology to households, we’re helping people take real climate action while saving money at the same time,” Dix said in a news release Monday.

The new initiative is part of BC Hydro’s broader Powering Growth strategy, launched in June, which focuses on conserving electricity, optimizing existing infrastructure and building new generation and transmission projects to meet future demand.

Since 2008, BC Hydro says its energy-efficiency programs have reduced electricity demand by more than 7,500 gigawatt hours annually—the equivalent of powering more than 750,000 homes.