[greenon-l] An Open Letter on Energy Conservation

[Conservation Council of Ontario]

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PEOPLE OF ONTARIO
Please Sign our Petition for an Ontario Energy Conservation Action Plan


Dear Friends,

Do you think conservation and renewable power should cost less than 
electricity from coal and nuclear?  Would you like better advice and 
support services to help you save energy in your home or workplace?

If you agree, then please take a moment to sign our online petition at 
http://www.petitiononline.com/conserve/petition.html.

The August 14th blackout made everyone realize how important conservation 
is.  84 percent of the Ontario public now wants to save electricity in 
their homes (according to an Ipsos Reid survey). If we don't take action 
immediately, Ontario will soon return to its old, inefficient habits.  We 
will have missed a singular opportunity to make our province cleaner, 
healthier, and more resilient.

Responding to the emergency, Ontarians cut their electricity use by up to 
25 per cent.  This was "conservation by sacrifice" -- turning off lights 
and air conditioners and cooking by barbecue.  Now that the immediate 
crisis is over, we need to promote "conservation by design" -- simple 
changes in lifestyle and substantial improvements in efficiency that will 
achieve the same conservation result without any pain.

Why is conservation important?

Conservation will save money.  As taxpayers, we are all footing the bill 
for the cap on electricity prices at 4.3 cents a kilowatt hour 
(kwh).  Conservation will eliminate the current spikes in price during peak 
demand, when the price Ontario pays for electricity can rise as high as 90 
cents per kwh.

Conservation will reduce the need for system upgrades.  Increasing 
Ontario's generating and transmission capacity will cost billions of 
dollars.  Conservation is a far cheaper alternative.

Conservation will help clear the air.  Electricity from coal fired 
generators are a major cause of Ontario's smog.  This year, Ontario 
suffered through 28 smog alert days.  Conservation will facilitate the 
early phase-out of Ontario's coal-fired electricity plants.

Conservation will save you money.  The cap on electricity prices is going 
to come off sometime within the next two years.  Will you be ready?

The Conservation Council of Ontario is a fifty-year old association of 22 
provincial organizations and 50 individual conservation leaders.  We are 
proposing a four point action plan for energy conservation in Ontario.  It 
will save up to 4,000 megawatts of electrical power, or about 20 per cent 
of our consumption.  The plan calls for a surcharge on the overconsumption 
of electricity, with the revenue used to set up a $1 billion conservation 
and green energy fund.  It also calls for community-based education and 
support services to assist people with conservation, and improved 
efficiency standards for appliances, homes, workplaces, and urban 
design.  You can read more about the plan at http://www.greenontario.org.

I believe Ontario can be a North American leader in conservation.  I hope 
you agree.  Please take five minutes to sign our petition.  Go to 
http://www.petitiononline.com/conserve/petition.html.

With thanks,

Chris Winter
Executive Director
The Conservation Council of Ontario.

(Please forward this request to your family, friends and colleagues.  This 
simple act will help shape the future of energy use in Ontario.)
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Promoting conservation leadership, cooperation, and action for over 50 years
The Conservation Council of Ontario
43 Sorauren Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M6R 2C8
(416) 533-1635
www.greenontario.org
Chris Winter, Executive Director
Lois Corbett, President