Thereby varying your consumption

The outside temperature

As we know, the winters are followed and no two are alike. If you heat with electricity, you will eat more during a particularly cold winter. Unfortunately you have no way of controlling the temperature outside, but you can control the other four factors below.

Factors: The outside temperature

The characteristics of your home

Heating alone accounts for over 50% of your electricity consumption! ? See Factors that influence your consumption Poor insulation of attics and foundation will result in heat loss up to 40% .

What you can do:

• Check and correct insulation, especially on the north side and the prevailing winds.
• Carefully caulk around windows, doors, home and everywhere where air seeps.Inexpensive, these measures will save you!
• In winter, let the sun penetrate through windows located on the sunny side and put curtains or blinds on the windows without sun.

Factors: the characteristics of your home

Your lifestyle

There is no cost to change your lifestyle to significantly reduce electricity demand.What you can do:

• Do not leave appliances on unnecessarily.
• Take shorter, cooler showers.
• Fix leaky faucets.
• Do not unnecessarily heat unoccupied rooms.
• Lower the thermostat at night.
• Quickly close the refrigerator door.

Factors: Your lifestyle

The number of occupants

There are many more in a home, it spends more time consuming electricity. What you can do:

• To the extent possible, schedule whereabouts and monitor the opening and closing of doors in winter.
• When the house is empty, lower the temperature of 2 to 3 ° C.

Factors: The number of occupants

Your appliances

They represent on average 21% of your electricity consumption! What you can do:

• When the time comes to replace a device, select a lower energy model, designed according to EnergyStar standards.

Factors: Your appliances

Electricity consumption Distribution panel

The counter is directly connected to a distribution panel , commonly known circuit breaker panel. It first has a main breaker, which can cut all the current home, and many secondary circuit breakers that are in the house.

The circuit breakers are switches that automatically turn off the power during overload or any abnormality. They prevent overheating circuits, for example because of a wiring problem or a defective appliance. To form a circuit, each circuit breaker is connected to a three son series of sockets or junction boxes.

The live wire carries the current. The neutral wire , also called "back", and the ground wire to play a protective role. Son neutral and earth point to the same terminal of the circuit breaker, which is connected to the cable ground of the distribution panel.

Some specialized circuits have only one outlet or a single package, for example the refrigerator or water heater. Other circuits are associated with GFCI taken to provide additional protection to the user, making the bathroom for example.

Why the two blades of the plug several appliances are they drilled a hole?

This hole serves to prevent the plug easily out of an outlet because it fits on a small bump in the legs contacting the plug. It also allows you to insert the pin into the hole a plastic tie to prevent an electrical device is connected.

Electricity consumption Counte

Whenever operating an electrical device, it consumes power. The amount of electricity and consumed (kWh) is calculated accurately using a meter, because there is a price attached to this use. The Hydro-Québec network ends the meter.

Calculate your consumption

Hydro-Québec calculates your electricity consumption as the difference between the last reading your meter and the previous statement.

The result should then be multiplied by a figure on the meter. Most of the time, this figure is 10 multiplier (MULT 10).

If the needle is between two numbers, you hold the smaller of the two, unless it points between 9 and 0.
The statement for the current period:		7523
The statement for the previous period:	-	7300
The difference between the two readings equal:	=	223
This difference, multiplied by 10, gives:		2230
2230 is the number of kilowatt hours will be charged.

Electricity consumption Balance of supply and demand

When you press a switch - and our electricity comes from hydropower, and Quebec - additional water is controlled to a more intense turbine, a hydropower increased and a movement greater energy plant his camera.

This is not the start of one device as the TV will make a big difference. But imagine that everyone in Quebec their lights at the same time! The call for power becomes significant. Yet this is what happens every day, for example when we turn all our cook to prepare dinner to 18 hours.

The balance of supply and demand

Electrical Distribution as water supply, it is better "to have too much to have enough" than otherwise. As soon as the current product, it should be used. And the converse is also true: as soon as you turn on an appliance, the electricity has to be there. Regardless of the amount requested, the electricity supplier must respond instantly! This is due to the flexibility of its production that can respond quickly and effectively to changes in demand.

If demand grows substantially, because of the rigors of winter in Quebec, for example, the electricity supplier must deliver more. When demand falls, summer Quebec for example, a producer as Hydro-Québec can churn and less intensely and store water in its reservoirs.

Electricity distribution Air Distribution

Electricity distribution

Air Distribution

See also ...

Learn how to avoid the risk of shock and have fun

The air distribution on wooden poles is the backbone in most areas served.It stretches over 97 000 km and 99% of 2.5 million posts in the network are wooden. Hydro-Québec Quebec serves 2.8 million customers through this network.

Logo Hydro-Québec Access My Client Area Search Sitemap Accessibility Contact Us Home Hydro-Québec Understanding electricity Size: Transmission and distribution of electricity The home plant Electricity transmission Transmission of electricity in Quebec Pylons Types of cables Construction of a Operation of a post Network Control Centre (JRC) Electricity distribution Electricity consumption Electricity transmission The transmission of electricity in Quebec

To reach areas of high consumption, electricity often travels vast distances. For example, James Bay, where the water flows through the turbines eight plants of the Grand River to Montreal, there are nearly 1000 miles as the crow flies. However, the distance to cross, the greater the risk of losing on the road part of the initial energy is high. We must take special measures to limit these losses, especially as the transit of large amounts of power over such long distances is heavy investment.

The high voltage transmission, an advanced solution by Hydro-Québec

To carry large amounts of electricity, it is preferable to increase the voltage of the current to reduce electrical losses and the total cost of transportation (we can avoid building additional lines, for example). Much of the electricity generated by Hydro-Québec flows through power lines at 735,000 volts. Otherwise, the country would be covered pylons: indeed, one line at 735,000 volts is four lines to 315,000 volts, the next level of tension.

In fact, Hydro-Québec is a pioneer in the field of high voltage transmission and has developed the first commercial airliner to 735,000 volts, as well as the first related devices operating at the same voltage.

In 1965, the first line to 735,000 volts ever built was commissioned to link the central complex Manic-Outardes urban areas of Quebec and Montreal. A breakthrough in the world of energy, the technology invented by the Quebec engineer Jean-Jacques Archambault has made ​​possible the development of hydropower resources of northwest and north-eastern Quebec.

The continuous current carrying

The technology to carry the DC is not in common use. However, it may be advantageous to isolate ac systems or control the amount of electricity transported. Hydro-Québec has a DC line that connects the James Bay Sandy Pond, near Boston, and many DC interconnections with neighboring systems.

Development of hydropower resources of the Northwest and Northern Quebec Agreement
Radisson station

Transmission and distribution of electricity The home plant

We managed to make electrons move through the driving force of water turbines in a hydroelectric plant, and produce an alternating electric current.

This electricity travels a long way to go to your house.

1 - The electrical current produced by a plant can reach 13,800 volts, as is the case at the Robert-Bourassa generating station.

2 - With the step-up transformer located in the switchyard of a central , electricity is transported at much higher voltages ranging from 44 000 to 765 000 volts or.

3 - Once in the transport network, the electricity combines with electricity generated elsewhere.

4 - Electricity passes through cables suspended from towers , ranging from power plants to the substations  - that lower blood - and then reachsatellite stations  - which reduce the voltage again.

5 - Electricity borrows underground lines to exit the satellite stations. At a distance of workstations, network becomes air and transformers attached to poles lower the voltage for the last time. Indeed, at home, voltages 120 volts is used to power the TV, radio and other common electrical devices, or 240 volts to operate devices that require high current, such as dryer or stove.

6 - Electricity is consumed as soon as it is produced. It is transported to a very high speed close to that of light, or 300,000 km / s.

Biomass, hydrogen and sun

Biomass

Biomass refers to combustible materials resulting from the decomposition of living cells. It is possible to produce a gas, for example methane, from these substances, or burn to produce heat.

In Quebec, there are large amounts of peat that could be profitable one day use for energy.

Biomass energy facilities
Biomass power plants Plant materials Organic agricultural waste Wood residues Organic wastes from sewage treatment plants Peat	Biogas plants biogas Natural gas products, including landfill waste

Hydrogen and sun

The sun and hydrogen are also forms of energy that a lot of interest. Although their use is limited for the moment experimental purposes, they could one day take an important place

Fossil Fuels

Powered by fossil fuel power plants are more expensive and polluting to exploit the hydroelectric facilities.

Despite their small contribution to the total production of electricityfrom Hydro-Quebec , they play a very important role in the provision of basic energy and peak power. In addition, they can serve remote areas such asIslands Magdalen .

Role of Thermal Hydro-Québec

Some thermal plants operate continuously to meet the basic application (energy basis). This is the case of diesel power plants.The gas turbine Bécancour only works occasionally, when the demand is high and hydropower generation is insufficient.

Diesel

Central Islands Magdalen

Diesel power plants are mainly located in remote areas. They serve mostly isolated in Nunavik communities on the Lower North Shore and Upper Mauricie. Diesel fuel plants and networks of autonomous distribution. The central one-against, the largest diesel power plant Hydro-Quebec, is located in the Îles-de-la-Madeleine.

Natural gas and light fuel oil

Bécancour

The gas turbine power plants typically use as fuel light oil or natural gas.They have this name because it is the combustion gases to drive the turbine.They are only used in the production of advanced energy because of their high operating costs due to the high consumption of fuel is relatively expensive. These plants have the advantage of being started and stopped within a few minutes, while other types of power plants need longer time.

Wind power History of wind power in Quebec

1975

Early work in the Research Institute 's Hydro-Québec (IREQ), with the installation of a vertical axis wind turbine 40 kW. It is no longer in office.

1977

Installing an experimental wind vertical axis to 230 kilowatts Islands Magdalen with the collaboration of the National Research Council (NRC) and IREQ. This wind turbine is no longer in office.

1986

Installing a horizontal axis wind turbine of 65 kW at Kuujjuaq (autonomous system). The turbine has since been dismantled. She now serves as the training college of the Gaspésie-Îles.

1987

Aeolus experimental project using a 4 MW wind turbine vertical axis rotor with a height of 96 m and a diameter at the equator to 64 m. This project was conducted in collaboration with the NRC. Wind operated commercially from March 1988 to April 1993, producing approximately 12,000 MWh. This wind turbine is no longer in office.

1987

Testing of the wind-diesel Twinning Center wind test Atlantic Island Prince Edward Island.

1995

Together with the Ministry of Natural Resources of Quebec (MNR), the University of Quebec at Rimouski and consulting firm Wind Economics and Technology Inc. (WECTEC), development of a wind map from known data to determine the wind potential of Quebec.

1997

Starting the program Hydro-Québec wind measurement specifically focused on the production of wind energy with four towers. Meanwhile, the DNR install other wind measurement towers.

1998

MNR transfer the responsibility of the entire measurement program winds.

1998

Commercial operation of the first phase of the Energy Project Nordais in Cap-Chat, consists of 76 wind turbines of 750 kW each.

1999

Commercial operation of the second phase of the Energy Project Nordais in Matane, consists of 57 wind turbines of 750 kW each.

2001

Transfer to Hydro-Québec of Matane wind test consisting of three wind turbines of 750 kW each bench.

2001

Publication of the Strategic Plan 2002-2006 's Hydro-Québec indicating that the company intends to support the development of wind power in Quebec by a targeted repurchase program of up to 100 MW per year.

2002-2004

Signature by Hydro-Québec Production of purchase contracts for wind electricity from independent power producers, for a total of almost 500 MW. Hydro-Québec Production and plays a leading role.

2003

In the wake of a decision of 5 March 2003 by the Government of Quebec, launched by Hydro-Québec Distribution in May 2003, a first tender for the acquisition of 1,000 MW of power produced from wind turbines. The contracts were awarded in October. The selection took into account the lowest unit cost, including transportation.

2005

Launched by Hydro-Québec Distribution of a second tender for the acquisition of 2,000 MW of wind energy.

2008

Contracting in the second tender for the acquisition of 2,000 MW of wind energy.

2009

Launched by Hydro-Québec Distribution of a tender for the acquisition of two separate blocks of 250 MW of electricity from wind, one from Aboriginal projects and other community projects, a total installed capacity of 500 MW.