An online quiz turned into a $1,000-prize package for Larry Glowaski.
The Oak Bay resident casually signed up for B.C. Hydro’s Power Smart Spring Contest filling out an eight-question quiz on energy efficiency in the home and a month later, he is waking up to a more energy-efficient place to live.
“First of all it was shock,” Glowaski said with a laugh. “I was trying to make my home a little more energy efficient and filled out the survey. Low and behold I won it, which surprised the heck out of me.”
His rising hydro bill prompted the Oak Bay resident to pursue avenues to more cost-effective solutions in his 1946 home, so he gravitated to the Power Smart website where he found the contest. He didn’t think more of it after closing his browser that day, simply reconsidering efficiency options for the home he bought just three years ago.
Those tasks are much easier now with the Home Depot prize package featuring a $500 gift card, a smoke detector, a thermostat, Phillips LED bulbs, and Smart-Strip power bars. Power Smart program manager Kari Montrichard said the programs have been positive for both the company and the community and hopes more people get involved.
“We have seen a number of people come through the Power Smart quiz … and focus on action they can take in their home,” she said. “We encourage our customers around the province to use less electricity and use energy efficiently when it makes sense.”
Glowaski, one of five finalists drawn across the province including winners from Williams Lake, Kamloops and
Coquitlam, beat out just under 30,000 participants in the contest.
BC Hydro serves more than 1.6-million homes and through the Power Smart programs has helped save the equivalent amount of electricity to meet the annual needs of more than 400,000 homes.
“I thought there has got to be a better way, so I started looking into it and through Power Smart I did learn there are grants available,” Glowaski said. “One can make ones home a little more energy efficient and it certainly has paid off.”
For more information visit bchydro.com/powersmart.