Energy Efficiency and Electric Vehicles
As part of its commitment to sustainable development, the City aims to improve the efficiency of the Hydro Westmount energy network and encourage energy-efficient habits within the community.
There are many ways to reduce your electricity bill. Hydro-Québec has tons of tips and tricks to help you reduce your energy consumption through appliance choices or behaviour.
Understanding Your Electricity Consumption
Your home’s peculiarities, the outdoor temperature, your habits and lifestyle, as well as your appliances all have an impact on your electricity bill.
Improving Your Energy Efficiency
Once you’ve had a look at your electricity consumption, consider Hydro-Québec’s advice, including reducing consumption without spending a cent, choosing the right domestic appliances, adjusting them to improve their performance, preparing for the different seasons, and much, much more! Use the button below to consult Hydro Québec’s list of energy-saving tips.
Intense Cold Weather
Frigid winter weather increases the demand on Hydro Westmount’s electrical grid, potentially leading to overloaded circuits and power interruptions. Furthermore, heavy penalties are charged to the City of Westmount for over-consumption. That is why Hydro Westmount asks customers to reduce electricity use, especially during peak hours, when the temperature dips below -18oC:
- Morning: from 6 to 9 a.m.
- Evening: from 4 to 8 p.m.
Delay using major appliances until after these periods, particularly those requiring hot water like dishwashers and laundry machines. It is sustainable and cost-effective to reduce energy consumption during intense cold weather.
For more information including easy ways to reduce consumption, consult Hydro Quebec
Charging Stations for Electric Vehicles
In order to continue to offer its residents a better quality of life and a healthy environment, the City of Westmount is deploying a network of charging stations for electric vehicles. This project, carried out with the participation of Hydro Westmount, will reduce the City’s ecological footprint by reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Location of Charging Ctations
To find out where charging stations are located in Westmount, visit the Electric Circuit website.
Standard Charging Stations (240 V)
To accommodate the majority of electric vehicles and to best serve the City’s residents and visitors, Hydro Westmount has opted to install 240-volt standard charging stations.
Rates
The rate for recharging may vary from one charging station to another depending on certain parameters. To find out the rate, please refer to the rate shown on the screen of the charging station you are using.
Please note that parking fees are not included in the charging cost. Therefore, if you are recharging your vehicle at a metered parking spot, you must also pay the pay-by-plate fee.
LED Street light transition
The project
In order to improve the energy efficiency of its urban lighting, the City of Westmount will replace the bulbs in its public lighting fixtures with LED (Light Emitting Diode Lamp) bulbs. This transition is part of a sustainable development approach that will keep the City’s light fixtures, particularly the Washington-style street lamps.
The long life and high energy efficiency of the new LED bulbs will also allow the city to save on its electricity and maintenance costs. LED lamps also offer an advantage in terms of safety as they light up faster than the previous HPS (high-pressure sodium) lamps after a power failure.
Safe and Dark Sky Friendly Lighting
Over the last few years, Hydro Westmount has carried out research and numerous tests on the improvement of LED sources, power, colour temperature and robustness of the power source, purchase costs, photometric distributions, etc. This process has resulted in the selection of a type of LED lamps that will provide reliable, stable and comfortable lighting for the City’s parks. The new lighting will allow residents to move around safely while reducing light trespass and skyglow.
Savings for the City
The City estimates that replacing high-intensity lighting (HID) sources with LED bulbs in the fixtures will result in:
CO2 emissions
Reduction of 1.42 tons of Greenhouses gas (CO2) emissions per year
Maintenance cost
250% reduction in maintenance costs annually
Electricity consumption
55% reduction in average electricity consumption per year
Number of bulbs replaced
550 of 2191 (last update on August, 2022)
Interactive map
Click on the interactive map below for information on the characteristics of each lamp and energy savings.
