Hydro-Quebec last week received approval to raise its rates, news that will have many of us switching off the lights and turning down the thermostat - for a few days at least.

Quebec's energy board, the Regie de l'energie, authorized a 1.9-per-cent rate hike, which will take effect next month. (The utility had asked for a 2.8-per-cent hike.) More important, the board demanded that Hydro-Quebec get serious about finding ways to encourage energy efficiency beyond the blunt tool of rate increases.

Hydro-Quebec is to thoroughly study the concept of a "smart meter," a way to charge lower rates at different times of the day or year when energy demand is lower.

The idea is to get people to reduce their use of high-energy appliances during peak demand hours, something utilities in Europe and some North American jurisdictions are already doing.

"What the board has asked us to do is a sweeping study of what is being done elsewhere ... so we can offer clients the option of differential rates during different hours of the day," said Helene Laurin, a spokesperson for Hydro-Quebec.

Laurin stressed that Hydro-Quebec is still years away from such a system because there are many models in use in other jurisdictions and energy use patterns differ in Quebec.

Once the research is done, a new system of rates would have to be proposed and approved by the energy board, a long process.

A differential rates pilot project introduced in 1993 in St. Jerome has not proved particularly popular with customers, she said.

The participants were offered a rate of 14.41 cents per kilowatt hour during peak demand periods (6 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Friday, from December to March) and a much lower rate (4.01 cents per kilowatt hour) at other times.

Only 159 residential customers, out of an initial 450, continue to choose that program today. She suggested customers might have found there were too many hours of the day where rates were high.

But a Toronto company called Eco-Response Technologies Inc. claims its product makes reducing energy bills simple by showing homeowners exactly how much energy they are using at any given time.

It's called a Centameter, a wireless device that uses sensors to monitor real-time energy use and a display unit to tell you exactly how much you are spending on energy at that moment, in cents per hour. It can also show you kilowatts per hour, or even greenhouse gas emissions.

The display unit can be mounted on a wall or can sit on a counter, so you can see your costs go down as you turn off the lights or unplug appliances.

Company president Neal Bach says the gadget, which sells for $179.95, works in a very direct way to influence consumers to conserve.

"When it's staring at you, telling you you're spending 20 cents an hour," you adjust your behaviour quickly, he said.

"It drove me to reduce my home energy bill by 30 per cent.'' The company has been selling the Centameter on the Internet (www.power2save.ca) for the past year, but wants to find a retail distributor in Quebec.

Hydro-Quebec's energy efficiency spokesperson Elodie Pestel said she is unfamiliar with the product, but agreed that anything that makes consumers aware of how they may be wasting energy, and money, is key to improving efficiency.

For information on Hydro-Quebec's EnerGuide for Houses program, visit www.hydroquebec.com/ residential/index.html or call 514-363-7443.

mlalonde@thegazette.canwest.com

- - -

Be penny wise, save a bundle

Some tips on how to reduce home energy consumption (and bills): In winter, open blinds and drapes on windows that will get sun when you leave the house (close them in summer).

Turn down thermostats at night (heating accounts for over 50 per cent of your energy bill).

Run the dishwasher only when full (each regular load costs about 24 cents). Then open the dishwasher door and let dishes air dry (save two cents per cycle).

Use cold water whenever possible to wash clothes (each hot water load costs about 39 cents, a warm load 18 cents, a cold load only 2 cents).

Hang clothes to dry when possible and don't overdry clothes in the dryer (each 52-minute normal dryer cycle costs about 16 cents).

Unplug appliances like TVs, microwaves, computers when you are away for a week or more (save up to two cents per hour).

Turn off computers and televisions when not in use (a computer screen that stays on 24 hours a day for a year wastes about $150).

Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs (save about $4.54 per year, per bulb).

Take showers instead of baths (a bath costs about 25 cents, a seven-minute shower only 16 cents).

Replace ordinary thermostats with electronic ones; it can save 10 per cent on your heating bill per year.

Buy the most energy-efficient appliances available (Hydro-Quebec recommends models that meet ENERGY STAR standards).

Take Hydro-Quebec's Home Diagnostic questionnaire to see where, when and how your household is wasting energy.