Connected couples: Many British Columbians are staying in with their smartphones and TVs this Valentine’s Day
By BC Hydro
Over a quarter of British Columbians in a serious relationship prefer to stay home on their smartphone instead of going out for Valentine’s Day with their partner, finds a new survey1 commissioned on behalf of BC Hydro.
In fact, the majority of British Columbians surveyed plan to stay in and watch TV instead of going out on a date for Valentine’s Day. And, of those that plan to stay in, 40 per cent plan to cook and watch a movie, while 17 per cent said they will order food and watch Netflix.
BC Hydro data shows evidence of British Columbians opting to stay in on Valentine’s Day. For example, electricity use increased about 5 per cent on Valentine’s Day last year compared to the same day the previous week.
The survey also found almost one-third of British Columbians will opt to text their partner a Valentine’s Day message instead of purchasing a greeting card, while 20 per cent will do both.
Small electronic devices such as TVs, set-top boxes and smartphone chargers may not consume a large amount of electricity individually, but taken together, the amount of electricity used by smaller electronics has increased by nearly 150 per cent – from 7 per cent to 17 per cent – since the early 1990s2.
When staying home on Valentine’s Day, BC Hydro recommends the following tips to keep electricity use low:
· Stream smart: When streaming movies or TV shows, consider using a device other than a game console as these use 40 per cent more electricity compared to other steaming devices, such as a smart TV.
· Manage power: Take advantage of the power management settings built into most new smartphones, tablets, laptops and game consoles.
· Cook-up romance: Opt to cook meals with smaller appliances, such as a crock-pot or instant pot – these use less than half the wattage of an electric oven.
For more information on how to save energy and money, visit powersmart.ca.
