Along with record hot temperatures, power demand in the province also hit a new record on Thursday, August 9th with 3,520 megawatts (MW). This is 50 MW over the old summer record set last August. However, the new record only stood one day before being broken once again on Friday, August 10th with 3,524 MW used. 

“We’ve seen both summer and winter records set every year for a good while now. And if last summer is any indication, we could very well see another record before temperatures cool off heading into the fall,” said SaskPower Vice President of Transmission and Industrial Services Kory Hayko. “It’s not impossible we’ll break this record again in the coming days. It’s SaskPower’s responsibility to ensure that Saskatchewan people and businesses have the power they need to thrive. That’s what drives our investment of $1 billion every year to modernize and grow the province’s electrical system.”

SaskPower is sharing a number of tips on how to reduce your power consumption: 

"Turn down or program the air conditioning when no one is home (for every degree that air conditioning is lowered for an eight-hour period, customers can save up to two per cent on their power costs)"

"Consider having their air conditioning unit inspected to make sure it is operating efficiently"

"Keep the heat out by closing blinds and drapes, especially those with direct sunlight"

"Delay chores that produce heat and moisture, like dishwashing and laundering, until the cooler parts of the day or evening"

"As with any time of the year, make sure lights, televisions and other electronics are turned off when no one's in the room. For example, a modern gaming console can use as much power as a refrigerator."