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The struggle for power (saving) is on!
Toronto Hydro pits city wards against each other in energy-saving, civic pride driveTORONTO, May 21 /CNW/ - NEWS Toronto Hydro-Electric System Limited ("Toronto Hydro") hopes to set off a wave of competition within the city limits. The aim is to drive energy conservation through civic pride in a race between Toronto's 44 wards to achieve the most participation in conservation-related programs this spring and summer. The utility is stimulating Torontonians' civic mindedness with a new campaign dubbed Count Me In Toronto. Residents across the city can log onto www.countmeintoronto.ca. Just by registering, 'points' will be applied to their specific ward and they will be automatically entered into a draw for one of five MacBooks. To help spur Torontonians into action, Toronto Hydro is encouraging residents to take advantage of the Spring Turn On and Keep Cool programs. The Spring Turn On program involves giving away 40,000 free CFL bulbs at participating Canadian Tire and The Home Depot stores in Toronto on the weekends of May 23 and May 30, and offers consumers discounts on the purchase of specialty CFLs and power bars with timers. Starting at 10 a.m., the first 350 Toronto residents at each Toronto location will receive a free specialty CFL (limit one specialty CFL per City of Toronto household). Keep Cool, a program of the Clean Air Foundation, is returning for its fifth year on June 3 and is once again providing Torontonians who bring in their old, inefficient air conditioners to The Home Depot to be responsibly recycled with a $25 The Home Depot gift card. New in 2009, Keep Cool will also reward Torontonians with a $10 gift card(*) to those who bring in an old, inefficient dehumidifier. The program will run in Toronto-area The Home Depots for the first three weekends in June. Actions taken from May 18 to September 6 will qualify for the Count Me In Toronto challenge. The winning ward will receive an environmentally sustainable retrofit to a public building within its civic boundaries. QUOTES "The purpose of Count Me In Toronto is to foster a greater sense of community pride by encouraging residents to green their neighbourhoods," said Toronto Hydro President and CEO, David O'Brien. "The hope is that citizens' competitiveness will come out once customers log on to the website and see how their ward is doing and inspire them to participate in as many conservation programs as possible." "This is a great opportunity for Torontonians to better get to know their neighbourhoods and the wards in which they live, and to take pride in making their immediate environment a cleaner, greener place," said campaign supporter and Ward 13 resident Mayor David Miller. "We encourage everyone in the city to have fun being eco-friendly and earn their community a green makeover for a public building."FACTS - According to a recent Leger Marketing survey commissioned by Toronto Hydro, 87 per cent of Torontonians would like to see more energy conservation activities in their ward, and yet only 31 per cent of respondents could identify the ward in which they live. To find out which ward they live in or find out where their ward stands, Toronto residents can visit www.countmeintoronto.ca. - Based on Toronto Hydro's previous electricity-saving programs, the top five wards at the outset of Count Me In Toronto include: Ward 30 (Toronto-Danforth) in first place; followed by Ward 40 (Scarborough Agincourt); Ward 1 (Etobicoke North); Ward 13 (Parkdale-High Park); and Ward 29 (Toronto-Danforth). - Actions taken from May 18 to September 6 will qualify for the Count Me In Toronto challenge. - Macbook contest details: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Contest open to residents of the City of Toronto, at least 18 years of age. Chances of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received by 11:59 p.m. on August 31, 2009. Winning entrants are required to correctly answer a mathematical skill-testing question. Limit one prize per person or household. Other terms and conditions may apply. The Count Me In Toronto website has been designed in a fun and user-friendly format. Customers will be able to learn about all the ways to earn points such as: - signing up for the peaksaver® program; - taking part in the Great Refrigerator Roundup program; - picking up free specialty compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) at participating Canadian Tire stores and all The Home Depot stores in Toronto; - returning old room air conditioners and dehumidifiers; and - installing other energy-saving devices like power bars with timers.About Toronto Hydro-Electric System Toronto Hydro-Electric System Limited is the regulated "wires" affiliate and is one of the largest municipal electric distribution utilities in Canada, delivering electricity to a broadly diversified, economically robust, residential, commercial and industrial customer base in the City of Toronto. The utility serves more than 684,000 customers./NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release is available on the CNW Photo Network and archived at http://photos.newswire.ca. Additional archived images are also available on the CNW Photo Archive website at http://photos.newswire.ca. Images are free to accredited members of the media/