With the arrival of fall, New Brunswickers can enjoy instant in-store rebates on energy saving products from September 30 – October 31, 2016.

Since it began, our Smart Habits rebate program has helped New Brunswickers save over $3,656,000 each year in electricity and is helping to lower annual greenhouse gas emissions by 10,528 tonnes.

Take advantage of these rebates with the following products so you can also start saving in-store and on your energy bills.

Programmable thermostats

Did you know that most of energy used in an average home is for space heating? Use a programmable thermostat to set your thermostat back by 3°C and you can save 6% on your heating cost for every 8 hours of setback.

Save $10 on every qualifying programmable thermostat (limit 25 products per person).

Smart strip power bars

Banish vampire power with smart strip power bars. Vampire power – when an idle device draws power, even when not in use, can account for up to 10% of household electricity use. Put an end to it with smart strip power bars.

Save $10 on qualifying smart strip power bars (limit 25 per person).

Smart thermostats

Have you ever left the house and forgot to turn down your thermostat? Smart thermostats help put an end to those “uh oh” moments by letting you adjust your home’s temperature with your smart phone, no matter where you are.

Save $25 on select smart thermostats for electric baseboard heaters (limit 25 products per person).

If you live in the Greater Fredericton, Greater Moncton, Kennebecasis Valley or Grand-Bay Westfield areas, you could be eligible to participate in a first-of-its kind pilot project to research smart thermostats. Learn more here.

LED bulbs and fixtures

LEDs are among the most energy-efficient and long-lasting lighting products available. LEDs use up to 75% less energy and last 25x longer than regular incandescent bulbs.

Save $4-$7 on qualifying LEDs (limit 25 per person).

Visit our rebates page on www.nbpower.com to find a list of eligible products and participating retailers near you.

What products do you plan on purchasing this October? What Smart Habits products have you already purchased and installed to help you save energy? Tell us in the comments below!

Ask any electric vehicle (EV) owner what it’s like to drive an electrically powered vehicle and praise flows quickly- instant acceleration, smooth driving, a startlingly quiet ride and of course, substantive savings on fuel and maintenance. That’s praise enough to impress any driver, from the auto enthusiast to the non-technical commuter.

But for many EV-curious commuters, lots of questions remain. Below, we tackle some of the most commonly posed questions about electric vehicles in New Brunswick.

The newly released BMW i8 is a Plug in Hybrid Electric Vehicle sports car. The i8 will be on display at the Harvest Jazz and Blues Music Festival on Sat, Sept. 17 from 1-5 p.m.

What’s the difference between a plug-in hybrid and an all-electric vehicle?  A Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) uses both electricity and gas. It has a small battery pack for short all-electric driving distances. A Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) is a fully electric car that never uses gas.

How long does it take to charge an electric vehicle? The answer to this question depends on a few factors: 

• the battery capacity of the EV.
• how depleted the battery is.
• the charging level available.

Typically, EVs can be charged over night from a regular (120 volt) household outlet, known as Level 1 charging common used at home by EV owners.

Increasingly found in public spaces, Level 2 (240 Volts) charging stations can provide a full charge to your EV in 10-12 hours (though you may not need a full charge to get home or to your next destination.)

Level 3 charge stations (at 480 Volts), also known as DC-Quick Chargers or DC Fast Chargers, can provide a full charge in 30 minutes. For more information on charging options available for EVs, visit Plug ‘n Drive Canada.

What kind of savings can I expect?

The cost of buying a new car isn’t just in the price tag. You also need to factor in the cost of ownership. Because electric cars use electricity instead of gas, you can save thousands of dollars per year on fuel costs.

On average in New Brunswick, battery only electric vehicles cost about $300 per year to fuel with electricity compared to over $2,000 in gas costs for an internal combustion engine car. By making the switch to electric vehicles, you could reduce your transportation related CO2 emissions by as much as 84%

What are the environmental benefits of driving an electric vehicle?

New Brunswick’s cars and trucks burn more than 1.1 billion litres of gasoline each year and emit more than 2.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere.

The burning of fossil fuels reduces air quality and produces greenhouse gas emissions. Released into our atmosphere, these GHGs are contributing to climate change, extreme weather events and health problems. Most of the CO2 emissions associated with your EV are from the generation of electricity.

By switching to an electric car you can reduce your CO2 emissions by as much as 3,000 kg per year, or about 75%. This is especially true when the electricity used to charge your car’s battery comes from low-emitting energy sources, such nuclear and hydro.

Are you thinking about buying an EV? If you already own an EV, what’s your advice for prospective EV owners?

As part of NB Power’s plan to continuously improve reliability for our customers, we are currently upgrading 1650 porcelain insulators on our transmission system.

Insulators are used on transmission and distributions systems to separate the electrically charged part of the equipment from an uncharged part of the infrastructure.

Without insulators to keep the current flowing where it supposed to be (in the conductor), infrastructure and the ground would become energized leaving the public and our employees at a great risk.

The insulators installed in areas along the coast and near industrial sites, are about 15 years old, with a life expectancy of 60 years. However, a  variety of  environmental factors have been determined to cause the porcelain insulators to overheat and crack, which has been the cause of a number of power outages in the southern part of the province recently. 

“This work will most certainly improve reliability in the area,” said Darren Baxter, Project Lead. “These new insulators have a proven track record with 20 years of successful installations.”

The new insulators are made of glass and have a special coating designed to withstand greater exposure to the elements than the existing porcelain insulators.

“We are confident this insulator replacement project will help to significantly reduce the frequency of transmission –related power interruptions,” said Baxter. “Our crews are specially trained to ensure the new insulators are installed in the most efficient manner, to ensure top service for our customer.”

So far NB Power crews have replaced approximately 600 porcelain insulators, primarily in the Courtney Bay area. NB Power expects to have the remaining 1050 insulators replaced by spring 2017.