Re: How to turn up the heat, not the hydro bill, Feb.13,

How to turn up the heat, not the hydro bill, Feb.13,

Ben Polley’s absurd assertion that those with electric heat should turn up the thermostat reveals that he is either not the green expert he claims and/or he is on Premier Wynne’s payroll.

While it is true electric rates are lowest at night, anyone who has lived in Ontario for a few years knows they are higher than the base rate before time-of-day pricing was forced on Ontarians a few years ago.

While Mr. Polley has the deep pockets to retrofit his home to maximize energy efficiency, he is in the minority. Tenants do not have this luxury with the exception of the few blessed with willing and generous landlords.

Mr. Polley failed to mention that the financial advantage of baseboard electric heating is restricted to the capital cost. Operating cost is very high as this is the most inefficient means of producing heat. If he really wanted to do Star readers a favour, he would have suggested they use floor heating, radiant panels or convection heaters.

From my personal experience as a long-term tenant with no choice but to have all electric heat, the most efficient and cost-effective method has been a combination of portable convection and using an electric blanket. I know from comparing with my friends who have similar living conditions that I have saved thousands of dollars in the past few years.

Turning the thermostat down or off is how to save money on an electric bill. Turning it up is how you make friends with OPG executives, shareholders and Premier Wynne.

Mark Robinson, Port Colborne, Ont.

The Toronto Star and thestar.com, each property of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, One Yonge Street, 4th Floor, Toronto, ON, M5E 1E6. You can unsubscribe at any time. Please contact us or see our privacy policy for more information.

Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.