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Ontario residents asked to conserver power today

A provincial government agency is asking Ontario residents to help ease the load on electricity use today.
A provincial government agency is asking Ontario residents to help ease the load on electricity use today.

Further information is included in the following news release by the IESO:

The Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) is asking
consumers to reduce their use of electricity today to help
deal with the expected record demands for electricity.

Ontario's electricity demand reached 26,000 megawatts (MW) late Monday afternoon, breaking the previous record of 25,414 MW set on August 13th, 2002. The demand for electricity Tuesday is expected to reach or
exceed those record levels.

As a result, consumers and businesses are being asked to reduce their electricity consumption, where possible, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. today to reduce the strain on Ontario's power system.

Power warnings are issued by the IESO during periods of high
demand for electricity, when supplies of reserve power are low.

Any further reduction in transmission or generation availability or any increase in demand could create shortfalls of electricity and require proactive actions
such as emergency purchases from other jurisdictions or voltage reduction on
the Ontario system.

Consumers and businesses can reduce the demands on the
electricity system by immediately:

* Turning off all but essential internal and external lights;

* Setting air conditioners to 26 degrees Celsius or higher, or using fans as an alternative;

* Closing curtains and blinds to keep out the sun and retain
cooler air inside; and

* Delaying the use of major power-consuming equipment such as dishwashers, washers and dryers and swimming pool pumps until after 8:00 p.m.

The IESO is responsible for managing Ontario's bulk electricity system and operating the wholesale electricity market. For more information, visit www.ieso.ca.