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 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 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.)