Beat the Peak

I’m Tara, the Electric Thermal Storage Project Liaison at YCS!

The Electric Thermal Storage (ETS) Project explores how ETS technology in the Yukon can be used to reduce energy consumption during peak times – thus contributing to beating the peak and reducting Yukon’s dependence on fossil fuels.

ETS units, in the form of central-based furnaces or room-based heaters, are installed in people’s homes and monitored for occupant comfort and energy use.

The ETS unit installed in the YCS office. Picture by Tara Howatt.

The underlying concept of ETS is that we can heat homes by using energy from the electric grid to heat bricks contained in the ETS units during periods with lower energy demand (off-peak times) and store that thermal energy to heat homes during periods of higher energy demand (peak times). Therefore, ETS technology can relieve some of the demand on the electric grid during peak times by shifting the times that energy is consumed and storing it for later.

There are of course many other ways to ‘beat the peak’, in fact, there is a Beat the Peak campaign that can notify you of peak times and offers tangible efforts you can make to ‘flatten the curve’ and ‘beat the peak’!

This campaign is a joint effort, led by the Northern Energy Innovation research team at Yukon University, and supported by Yukon Energy Corporation, Yukon Conservation Society, The City Of Whitehorse, ATCO Electric Yukon and Yukon Government.

Let’s Beat the Peak this Winter

On the coldest days of winter, during two critical periods from 7-9 AM and 5-7 PM, our energy consumption peaks dramatically. To avoid critical failures that would result in possible power outages, our electrical grids are designed with enough capacity to supply all the power we need during these ‘peak use’ times. Power in must equal power out. Although over a typical year we source 94% of our energy on the Yukon grid from hydroelectricity, during peak times a much higher proportion of our power comes from diesel and LNG. If we reduce our consumption at these critical times, we also reduce our dependence on these fossil fuel generators.

Nature teaches us that during these crucial times, we need to reduce our energy needs. Bears hibernate, small creatures huddle, many different animals put on winter coats and store food for these times. We can take a page from their playbook to help us ‘beat the peak’ as well.

To help ‘flatten the curve’ on these peaks we can take small measures that make a big difference to our community’s capacity needs. For instance, we can delay the use of our dryers, washers, and other appliances, put on another layer and turn the thermostat down a couple of degrees, and use timers on our block heaters or charging stations for our vehicles.

We can use these times to build community by sharing a meal with our neighbor, especially if we use a slow cooker or reheat leftovers as opposed to cooking raw food. We can group together in a living room or neighbor's home to play a board game or have a conversation instead of pursuing individual activities throughout the home. If possible, use the timer on your coffee pot so that it is ready when you get up at seven o’clock and how about a family workout session to stay warm and healthy?  these are just some of the creative things you can do to help ‘beat the peak’.

Our peaks are not long and last for just two hours in the morning and two hours at night and most impactful on our coldest of days. Use these times also as a reminder of the importance of nature’s influence on our lives, particularly as the seasons change, and take time to reconnect with each other.

For more information on the Beat the Peak campaign, please visit our website.

Sarah Newton - Northern Energy Innovation