Peaksaver

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Frequently Asked Questions

Electricity distributors along with support from the Ontario Power Authority are making it simple for Ontarians to do their part to ease the strain on the electricity system during summer peak demand times. Ontarians can sign up for the peaksaver® program and help reduce the strain on the electricity system during peak demand times. This program is being offered to you because you reside in an area where electricity usage is higher in summer than in winter.

Any customer of Veridian, who has central air conditioning and receives a bill from Veridian, is eligible for the peaksaverprogram. You must own the home or building or have approval from your landlord to participate.

Most furnaces are compatible however there may be some exceptions on models that have a circuit board that is computerized and does not allow the thermostat to communicate with the system. Unfortunately we don’t have a thermostat yet that is compatible with 100% of the systems. The installer will verify compatibility when they arrive at your home.

If you choose to enroll in peaksaver and take advantage of Veridian’s free offer of installation of the programmable thermostat, please keep the following important information in mind with respect to your old thermostat.

Part of the terms and conditions of the program indicate that the current thermostat should be kept by the home owner so that we can re-install it at no cost should you decide to leave the program during the warranty period (one year). 

If you choose to dispose of your old thermostat, please keep the following important information in mind:
Mercury-containing items should be treated as hazardous materials and should not be thrown in the garbage. Liquid mercury should never be poured down the drain. Many municipalities have programs that accept household products that contain mercury.  There may be other initiatives in your region outside the municipal programs. The http://earth911.com/ website provides a searchable database for disposal and recycling centres.

With the permission of the eligible customer, Veridian will install a thermostat that allows us to cycle your air conditioner and reduce its run time.  This typically takes place weekday afternoons during the hottest days of the summer, and is highly unlikely to occur on holidays or weekends.

Veridian launched the peaksaver program in 2007.  To find out more, visit Veridian’s website at www.veridian.on.ca or call 1-866-323-0206.

Apart from reducing the strain on the electricity system and benefiting the environment, a $25 incentive will be provided to customers who sign up and participate in the peaksaver program.

Your $25.00 cheque will be mailed to you within eight weeks of installation of the thermostat.

It will not cost you anything to participate and there is no maintenance cost. Just for signing up, participating in the program, and having the free programmable thermostat installed, you will receive $25.

Direct savings from the program may not be noticed on your bill, however, this program will save everyone money by keeping the cost of electricity lower. 
Your heating costs in the winter could be reduced through the use of the programmable thermostat.  Setting the temperature back in winter and up in summer while your home or business is unoccupied will produce savings.

Yes. By participating, you and thousands of others will allow us to reduce the strain on the electrical system during peak periods. By doing very little on your part, you are making a significant contribution to conserving electricity and helping to improve our environment.

We expect that the peaksaver program will reduce the demand on the electrical system. This means there will be less need to buy peak demand electricity and that saves everyone money by keeping electric prices low.

Yes you can still enroll. Customers who do not own the property require written permission from the owner/landlord to have the thermostat installed at your residence.

Residents who participated last summer said they hardly noticed when the cycle-down had taken place. The peaksaver event is typically transparent to the participant over the short period as there is only a very small rise in temperature.

No, the technology takes this into account. The remotely-controlled devices only reduce the electricity usage but do not turn off the air conditioners. Also, the air conditioners participating in the program are managed randomly to avoid a power surge.

If your unit has a separate central air conditioning unit, you are eligible for the program

Everyone can help reduce strain on the electrical system. peaksaver is targeted at homes and small business but there are many conservation programs for commercial properties and industry as well. For example, there is a program similar to peaksaver wherein companies sign contracts to reduce their electricity consumption during peak periods.

No, you don’t have to participate.  This is a voluntary program and you can exit the program at any time. We're confident that people will find it to be an easy way to help reduce the strain on our electricity system and benefit the environment.

No, we will not have access to any other system in your house. We will only have access to the central air conditioning and electric hot water heater if you opt to include these items.

Yes, you will have to be home to have the thermostat installed. You will need to make an appointment for the installation. Call 1-866-323-0206 to arrange an appointment.

We can understand your concern for security. Rest assured that the installation will be done by qualified installers working on behalf of Veridian. When the installers come to your door you can ask them to produce identification that will show that they are working on behalf of Veridian.

In periods where electricity demand is very high, it becomes more likely that we will rely on coal-fired plants to meet the shortfall. Coal-fired plants release greenhouse gases and contribute to air pollution.

Every individual and business that participates is helping to make brownouts and blackouts less and less likely so the more people participating, the better!

We are always looking for ways to help our customers and our province conserve electricity to ensure a continual supply of electricity. Programs like peaksaver help everyone in the long run by reducing the pressures on our electricity system. It's totally green - peaksaver will help to reduce the emissions caused by electricity generation.

To qualify you must have central air conditioning. Residential customers with central air conditioning can also volunteer electric water heaters for the program.

If you would like to opt out on a particular date, please call 1-866-323-0206 and someone will be able to answer your questions and schedule the exemption.

Yes, if for whatever reason you are not happy, please contact peaksaver at 1-866-323-0206 to speak to a representative.

Nothing. peaksaver will simply cycle your air conditioner so it runs half as long for a brief period of time. The only change may be a very slight increase in temperature - most people will not notice a change at all. peaksaver does not impact any other appliances in your home.

No, participating in the program is easy and requires no effort, time or investment.

Any questions can be directed to the Veridian peaksaver Call Centre at 1-866-323-0206.

No, the program is currently limited to customers with central air conditioning systems and electric water heaters.

Although a high-efficiency system uses less electricity than an older or less-efficient system, any and all electricity savings are helpful during a peak-use period.

Yes, participants in Veridian’s peaksaver program will be able to opt-out in advance of an event by calling 1-866-323-0206 to notify a representative of a time during which they prefer not to be activated.

Ontario’s electricity use is growing. Population growth and increases in use of electrical devices will cause increasing demand. This demand can be met by building more generating stations, but that is expensive and has environmental implications. An alternative way to allow for growth is to help Ontarians use electricity as efficiently as possible; using only the electricity they need and, where possible, avoiding using it at times when the peak demand for electricity is highest. This saves Ontarians money and reduces impact on the environment.

This is an organization set up by the Ontario provincial government to plan the Ontario Power System, develop Generation, develop the Electricity Sector and encourage electricity conservation.
In addition to peaksaver, what other ways can I help?
Here are three ways you can reduce the strain on the electricity system during peak times (weekdays between noon and 8 p.m.):

• Delay using major appliances like clothes dryers, washing machines and dishwashers until after 7 p.m.
• Turn up your air conditioning thermostat higher than 24 degrees Celsius (use fans instead to stay cool) .
• Turn off all unnecessary lights (use compact fluorescent light bulbs for essential lights- they use 75% less electricity).

peaksaver® is a registered trademark of Toronto Hydro Corporation, used under license.