The 4th Annual Doug Wallace Memorial Slo-Pitch Tournament was held on August 11 in Saint John. The slo-pitch Tournament is an annual fundraising initiative led by Point Lepreau staff in memory of Doug Wallace, well known union member and long-time NB Power employee.

Eight teams made up of NB Power employees and community members participated in the Tournament, raising a total of $2,850 for Bobby’s Hospice of Greater Saint John.

Team Security came in first place with team Operations coming in second.

In first place was Security – Back Row from left to right: Anna-Marie Adams, Keith Garnett, Dylan Jones, Vinnie Hosford, Shannon Tapper, Chris Dempsey, Vance Crozier Bottom row left to right: Katrina MacKinnon, Joe Mahoney, Litsa Dares, Keri Savoie​

In 2^nd place was Operations – Back Row from left to right: Glen Beers, Carolyn Davis, Ted McWilliams, Marc Myles, Darren Logan, Ashley Logan, Dwayne Logan Bottom row from left to right: Katelyn Denton, Randy O’Donnell, Amy Raynes, and in front the official OPS Batboy Nicholas O’Donnell (9) Not Shown: Preston Boulos, Randy Davis

NB Power employees Randy O’Donnell and Adrice Bordage worked together to organize the tournament. “We’re very proud to have had this event take place and we look forward to doing it again next year,” said Randy.

Bobby's Hospice is a palliative care home that provides 24-hour medical care and support to people living with a terminal illness and grief support for those coping with the loss of a loved one.

Have you installed LED light bulbs only to have them start flickering on and off? Well, you’re not alone.

LED fixtures/bulbs are operated by an electronic driver in which some are more susceptible to noise, {voltage fluctuations}, than others depending on the quality of the fixture/bulb.

So what’s causing the flicker? It could be a number of things. But most commonly, LED bulbs may flicker or dim in your home when there are voltage fluctuations in your home’s wiring.

When electrical loads turn on and off in your home, this creates a change in voltage levels, which may cause the LED lights to occasionally dim or flicker.

But there are other reasons that may be causing your lights to dim or flicker. Let’s take a look:

1. Inrush current from appliances
   
   Certain appliances in your home need more power when they first turn on. The inrush current of motors within appliances causes the voltage to drop and if the lights are on the same circuit you may see dimming of these lights. This is true for many types of lighting including LED.
   
   You should already have appliances on separate breakers such as your fridge, stove, washer and dryer. If this isn’t the case then a certified electrician should be called to investigate further.

2. Loose wiring or loose bulb
   
   Another thing that commonly causes flickering in LED bulbs is loose connections or circuits. This is easy to fix. Just screw the LED bulb in tighter to see of that fixes the problem.  If there’s a lot of dust in the fixture, first blow out the connection points to remove the dust before putting the bulb back in. 
   
   There may also be loose wiring at the fixture connection point. A certified electrician will disconnect power to the fixture and re-tighten the wiring to make sure it’s tight and secure. If there are numerous light fixtures dimming at the same time then the electrician will investigate at the panel and/or junction box to ensure that all connections are properly secured.

3. Dimmer compatibility
   
   Some existing and even new dimmer switches may not be compatible with LED lighting or you may have a non-dimmable light in a dimmable fixture. Carefully reading the labeling on your bulbs and fixtures and making sure you have the right bulb for the job can fix this. Dimmers also have wattage ratings which differ depending on the type of light source whether it is LED, incandescent, etc. This affects the number of light fixtures on a dimmer depending on the individual wattages of each. The practise of ganging dimmers or switches within the same back box will also further de-rate the wattage the dimmer can safely handle. A certified electrician will determine by referring to the Canadian Electrical Code the correct load permitted.
   
   Be sure to buy high quality with recognized certification (CSA, ULc etc.), ENERGY STAR® certified LED bulbs when upgrading your lighting in your home. 

“The cheapest power is the power you don’t use” is a pretty good mantra at the beginning of an energy diet, or an energy efficiency journey, whatever you want to call it.

My husband and I have been on that path for a while now. For environmental and economic reasons we have been deliberate about what we consume and have put a lot of effort into using less power.

We thought we were doing very well, or assumed we were, anyway. It was an “I care, therefore I am” kind of approach to reducing the amount of power that we were  using -- I care therefore I must be using less power than everyone else.

But then we received our first home energy report.

The home energy report is a year-old initiative by NB Power to help New Brunswick households use less power. The idea is that if you actually understand how your power use compares to your neighbours’ power use you might decide to do something about it.

For us it was a bit more fundamental than that. Without an energy consumption benchmark, my husband and I could have gone on for years assuming that we were in the “green zone” and had nearly reached our capacity for household energy reduction. As it turns out, according to the energy report we’re pretty much in the middle when compared to comparable houses in our vicinity.  

NB Power’s home energy report has been our reality check, but it has also been a great source of info and guidance on our journey to reduce our household energy consumption.  

The online tool has been the greatest benefit. While the paper print out that we received in the mail is a simple snapshot,  the online energy report is a real resource.

If you truly want to reduce your household power consumption, for your pocketbook, the environment, or both, here are the sections of the online tool that I have found most helpful:

Under the tab “My Energy Use” you’ll be able to see your usage details, which parts of your home use the most energy and you’ll be able to compare your bills month over month or year over year. It’s this comparison tool that I find the most helpful. The tool factors in the number of billing days and the weather to provide a true comparison of your monthly spend. From there you can single out any behaviours or activities that lead to a change (or not) month over month.

Every step along the way offers ideas on how to use less power, including the top five tips for saving energy customized to your household (shaving an hour off shower time and ensuring our refrigerator seals are tight…) Many of the tips might seem like common sense (turn out the lights when you leave the room) but we can all use reminders from time to time.

Customers who interact with the tool online appreciate its value. That makes sense to me. The tool is empowering and encouraging and reminds you that there is always more you can do to use less power.

To get the most benefit out of the home energy report, visit My Energy and complete your household profile. From there you can explore the energy savings tips that make sense to your household. The data you submit includes how many people live in your home, the approximate square footage of your home, whether you use efficient light bulbs, how you heat your home, the age of your heating system, if you have a stand-alone freezer or a second fridge, the type of fuel your hot water heater uses, the kinds of electronics in your home, and more. 

(The information you provide not only creates a more accurate comparison for you, it enables the database to make more customized efficiency recommendations for your household, based on what uses the most energy.)

We shouldn’t expect power rates to drop -- that simply doesn’t make sense in the world today. Instead, focus on something that does make sense, and something that you can control, which is finding ways to use less power. If that’s your goal, the home energy report might be your greatest helper.

Bridget Oland is a Saint John-based green living blogger with a passion for sustainable living, gardening, and spending time with her two kids. You can find out more at Bridget’s Green Kitchen.

NB Power’s hydro facilities are located along the Saint John River system. They are “run of river” facilities with very little storage capability. Storage is measured in hours, unlike larger facilities like Churchill Falls in Labrador which can store water for months. Water coming from upstream into the headponds must be used for generation at that moment, or must be allowed to bypass the dam. Put simply, the water that flows in must flow out.

The Mactaquac Generating Station at full load passes water through at 80,000 cubic feet per second. Any flow greater than that must pass through the spill gates. In 2018, the Saint John River flows at Mactaquac were more than 300,000 cubic feet per second. As a result, water at Mactaquac was passing through the spillways. At high flows, above plant generating capacity, the water coming in must be released immediately to maintain the proper slope on the headpond to allow the river to flow downstream.

Essentially the river returns to its natural state during high flow events. In order to maintain the natural flow of the river and allow the water to pass the facilities safely, NB Power has very specific operating guidelines.

Water naturally runs downhill. Increased water flow requires there is adequate slope on the river or headpond to continue the natural flow of the river. In order to accomplish this, NB Power lowers the Mactaquac headpond level at the dam to maintain this slope, thus allowing the passage of natural river flow. When the river flow decreases, the headpond level will return to normal levels.

In the lower Saint John River Basin the Reversing Falls in Saint John creates a natural barrier in the river system that is essentially the narrow end of the funnel. With the current river flows being greater than 300,000 cubic feet per second, approximately only half of that water can pass through the falls at low tide. As a result, a bathtub effect is created in the lower basin whereby the water that is not able to pass through the falls backs up and cause flooding. This is compounded during sustained high flows like New Brunswick is currently experiencing.

Higher than average snow fall in North Western New Brunswick and Northern Maine coupled with rain events has resulted in these sustained high flows.

NB Power’s highly trained staff works closely with Riverwatch, the province’s Emergency Measures Organization and communities all along the river during these events.

NB Power is constantly observing and communicating river and station conditions with the goal of operating facilities with the least possible impact on the natural flow of the river while doing everything possible to keep its infrastructure and people safe.

Running a small business isn’t easy.

If you own or run a small company in New Brunswick, you juggle dozens of responsibilities every single day. One of those is managing your operating costs.

We’re here to help. Through our Small Business Lighting Program, Bathurst’s Big D Drive-Ins Diner was able to upgrade their lighting and will save $1,400 annually.

With a $2,592 incentive from NB Power, Big D Drive-Ins invested $6,020 into lighting upgrades – replacing their incandescent, metal halide and T12 lights with more efficient LED ones. Their estimated monthly savings of $120 translates to around $1,400 annually.

“We are extremely happy with our results thanks to the Small Business Lighting Program. As New Brunswick’s only drive-in restaurant, it is very important for us to be well-lit, especially in the winter months,” said Richard Dobson, owner of Big D Drive-Ins Diner. “Our business is now more visible, for less cost.”

Businesses participating in the program will save money on their monthly electricity bill, and also get a rebate of $0.17 for every kilowatt hour saved up to $7,500.

Eligible businesses work with an approved service provider to identify the right changes for their building. That can include things like new light fixtures, bulbs and controls that will help reduce the amount of energy consumed. We will review the statement of work for your upgrades and then you have 120 days to complete them and submit your claim for the rebate payment.

Just like that, up to $7,500 in your pocket.

New and improved lighting will make your business better. Customers will have a better view of your business, greater visibility means increased safety and you will create an overall better work environment for your employees.

You’ll also continue to enjoy longer-term savings every month with lower electricity bills. What can you do to grow your business with these savings?

Plus, you’re doing your part for the environment. Cutting down on electricity consumption means a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

Who qualifies for the program? You’re in luck if you own, manage or lease a building in New Brunswick that is at least two years old and consumes less than 100 MWh/yr. You also must be an NB Power Service I or II customer (or the equivalent category with Saint John Energy, Edmundston Energy or Perth-Andover Light Commission.) And, your account has to be in good standing.

If you don’t qualify for the Small Building Lighting Program, check out our Commercial Building Retrofit Program for larger businesses and buildings in New Brunswick.

Want to learn more about our Small Business Lighting Program? Visit the program website, call us at 1-800-663-6272 (press 5) or email us at CEES-SEEC@nbpower.com.

Don't delay. Get started on saving with the Small Business Lighting Program.