Residents may have noticed an increase in their power bill with the intermittent cold snaps in the west central region, but there are steps you can take in an effort to reduce monthly power expenditures.

Debbie Nielsen, director of customer strategy and programs at SaskPower, said in a press release that the demand they are seeing year after year is continually increasing across the province.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as on one hand this is indicative of the growth within the province, however, being mindful about your power use can be a good not only for the environment but your bank account as well.

Saskpower shared that large appliances account for approximately 35 per cent of a households power use and to look for the Energy Star symbol when shopping for a new appliance to ensure efficiency. They also suggest to always wash full loads of laundry, make an effort not to over-dry your cloths and avoid opening your oven door while cooking.

The second largest use of a home’s power is heating and cooling with SaskPower stating it accounts for about 22 per cent of residential bills. By turning your thermostat down at night, an eight-hour period with lower heat requirements can save up to two per cent on your heating costs.

19 per cent of your electricity costs are due to electronic devices around your home. An easy way to lower your bill is to be diligent about turning off devices when not in use, opting for LED versions and switching your desktop computer for a laptop when possible as it uses up to 90 per cent less power. LED’s aren’t just helpful when it comes to TV’s and other monitors, LED light bulbs use 80 per cent less electricity and last up to 15 times longer than incandescent bulbs.

Many times it is necessary to plug in your vehicle to ensure it starts in frigid temperatures, however, in most cases your vehicle only needs to be plugged in for four hours. To save upwards of 8 hours of unnecessary electricity use, install a timer on your vehicles block heater.

The new record system load recorded by SaskPower was for 3,792 megawatts, set on December 29, 2017.