Category: Blog

Are you thinking about purchasing an electric vehicle (EV) or making big home renovations that will require an electrical service upgrade?

Whether you are looking for an electrical service upgrade, to connect a new electrical service, or need a temporary service for your construction project, we’ve made the process simple.

While impacts of renovations or added electrical devices on a home or business’ power supply are an oft overlooked issue, it is something you would be well served to understand before completing a project or purchase.

Any new services, upgrades, or temporary supplies must first be approved by our engineering team to ensure everything will be safe, reliable, and to control for potential impacts on connected infrastructure. Before we get into the simple process for submitting your request, let’s look at what these requests are and when you would need to consider a new, upgraded, or temporary electrical service.

Submit a Service Request

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New Electrical Service

Applying for a new electrical service is necessary when a new electrical service is required for a property or location not currently connected to our grid. The most common examples include:

New Construction

When a new residential, commercial, or industrial build is complete, a new electrical connection must be established to provide power to the new building or complex.

Subdivisions and Developments

Builders or property developers constructing a new subdivision, multi-residential building, or complex, will need to apply for a new electrical service to ensure that all buildings and/or units are connected.

Agricultural Operations

Farms and other agricultural operations will often need additional electric connections when a new farm, greenhouse, storage facility or other building is added on their property.

Remote or Off-Grid Locations

In areas where our grid currently does not offer service, any customer requiring an electrical connection will be required to contact our team about extending service to the location and setting up a new electrical connection.

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Electrical Service Upgrade

Electrical service upgrades are an increasingly common request among our customers. As homes in our city continue to age, many homeowners are recognizing that their electrical service can no longer support their electrical needs.

While there are various reasons a customer may require an upgrade to a higher capacity electrical service, some of the most common reasons include:

Home Renovations and Additions

When homeowners plan to add additional rooms, split an existing home into multiple units, add new appliances, or otherwise plan to increase the electrical load in their home, an upgrade to their electrical service may be required to accommodate the additional demand.

Pool and/or Hot Tub Installations

The addition of a pool and/or hot tub to your backyard may require an upgrade to your electrical service. These systems often draw large amounts of electricity during operation that can create issues with your electrical service if it is not equipped to handle the load.

Heat Pump or Air Conditioner Installation

If you are looking at installing an air conditioning system in your home or are looking to switch away from gas heating to an electric heat pump, it is important to consider the capacity of your current service. These systems can drastically increase demand during peak use and may require an electrical service upgrade.

Electric Vehicle Charger Installation

Making the switch to an EV can be a great way to lower your carbon footprint and save on your personal transportation costs. However, if you plan on installing a Level-2 charger to charge your new EV at home, you will likely need to upgrade your electrical service.

Solar, Battery, or Generator Installation

Whether your goal is to save on electricity costs, lower your carbon footprint, or ensure you have a backup power supply, the installation of these devices can often cause issues with lower capacity services. Before moving forward with installation, it is best to determine if you will need an electrical service upgrade ahead of time.

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Temporary Service

A temporary service request is necessary when a customer needs electrical service for a short-term or temporary purpose. Some common situations in which a temporary service request would be required include:

Construction Sites

Contractors and builders will often require a temporary electrical service during the construction or renovation process in order to power their tools, equipment, and any necessary temporary structures.

Special Events

Event organizers hosting outdoor festivals, concerts, or fairs may require a temporary electrical service in order to power for event-related needs such as rides, vendors, stages, etc.

Building Additions

In certain situations, additions to an existing home or building may not be able to connect to the existing service and the owner or contractor responsible for the project may request a temporary service until a permanent connection can be established.

Emergency Situations

When disaster strikes temporary power supplies can be required to help power emergency services and other critical infrastructure in the aftermath.

Temporary Retail

Seasonal or pop-up retail outlets may need temporary electrical service to operate necessary cash registers, lighting, and heating and cooling systems.

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Our Simple Process

As always, any electrical work around your home must be completed by a licensed electrical contractor. Some people think DIY electrical work can help save money on a project, but the risk of harm and/or fire are never worth the reward and, in Ontario, hiring a licensed electrical contractor is the law.

The process for an electrical service upgrade, new connection, or temporary power supply can be broken down into these steps:

Application Submission

The first step in the process is to submit an online application to our team. It is important to note that our application requires both your information and the information of your chosen electrical contractor that will help you complete the work. Without your electrical contractor’s information, our team cannot process your application.

Assessment

Once you have submitted your application, our engineering team will reference the information provided and determine the specific requirements for your service request, including the required fees to complete the request.

Installation

Once your application has been approved and any required fees are approved, our team or your licensed electrical contractor can proceed with the necessary work required to complete your request.

Inspection

After completion, your project will undergo inspection to ensure all safety and regulatory requirements are met. Once the inspection is complete, it can be energized and ready to power your completed project!

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No matter the type of request, it is important that you work closely with our team and complete all necessary applications before incurring any costs associated with your project. Oshawa Power is committed to keeping our grid as safe and reliable as possible and through following proper processes, we can help make sure your project is completed safely and adheres to all local electrical safety standards.

Serving more than 61,000 customers across 145km², the Oshawa Power fleet plays an integral part in the work we do each and every day to maintain, repair, and ready our grid for the future. For our field staff, their vehicles are their office and their workshop. With the specialized tools and equipment on board that allow our powerline technicians, substation electricians, inspectors, and more, to complete the work necessary to keep the lights on, our fleet plays an integral part in all that we do.

With more than 30 vehicles from a light duty electric vehicle (EV) to our largest double bucket trucks, our vehicles are often our most important tool. Let’s take a closer look at the vehicles that make up the Oshawa Power fleet and how we use them in our day-to-day operations.

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Bucket Trucks

The most recognizable member of our fleet, no local distribution company (LDC) could survive without their bucket trucks. As the ‘workhorses’ of our fleet, our 7 bucket trucks allow us to safely complete the work necessary to keep power flowing to each and every customer across our city.

Our bucket trucks come in two distinct varieties; single bucket, 55-foot trucks and double bucket, 85-foot trucks. While these trucks have some key differences, the main features are the same. Both trucks feature hydraulic extension booms that allow our crews to safely work on overhead powerlines when completing scheduled maintenance and rebuilds or when responding to trouble calls and working to restore power when outages happen. Most day-to-day maintenance and trouble calls are taken care of using our 55-footers.

Outriggers, metal support posts attached to the trucks, provide stability for both trucks when crews are working overhead. These ‘feet’ help to level out our trucks and provide a stable base when our team members go up in the bucket.

Both trucks also feature hydraulic tool systems, providing our team with the necessary tools to maintain and make repairs to our grid. Storage compartments on the trucks are also used to store basic tools, replacement parts, and specialized equipment such as amp and volt meters.

For general safety, our trucks also feature flashing beacons and halogen spotlights. Beacons warn our community when our teams are hard at work, helping them avoid the area and potential electrical hazards, while spotlights allow our team the visibility necessary to work in all conditions, night or day, rain or snow, when we are called upon.

All of our bucket trucks now include portable defibrillators on board. While not a traditional safety requirement in the electricity distribution industry, all of our in-field workers are CPR-certified and able to operate a defibrillator, improving safety conditions for our staff and local community alike.

Our 85-foot, double bucket trucks are not often used in day-to-day operations but are an important asset when our team needs to work on higher voltage 44kV feeder lines. The higher boom length is necessary to reach these lines that are generally more elevated than more common lines around our city.

In addition to the higher boom, these trucks feature fully-insulated fiberglass buckets. This allows our crew to work ‘barehand’ on our 44kV lines.

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Digger Trucks

Another integral piece of equipment for our field team, digger trucks have a similar cab to our bucket trucks but differ greatly in their purpose. In place of storage and an extendable boom on the rear, digger trucks feature a large auger designed to drill into the earth for underground work and pole installations.

These trucks may also be used to transport large equipment to its final location, such as transformers.

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Station Vans

While you are less likely to see our station vans driving around Oshawa each day, these vehicles have a very important role to play in our fleet. These vehicles are primarily used by our substation electricians.

On board is all the equipment our substation electricians need to perform repairs and maintenance across Oshawa’s nine municipal substations.

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Light and Medium Duty

Making up the largest portion of our fleet are our light and medium duty vehicles. From small sedans to specially outfitted ‘dump truck’ pick ups, these vehicles are used for general transportation and lighter duty work.

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Tension Stringing Trailers

Have you ever wondered how the wires used to energize our city get from the spool to their final destination, high above our city streets? The answer is that this is a team effort between bucket trucks and specialized tension stringing trailers.

These trailers allow our team to quickly and safely string new powerlines, whether it is installing new infrastructure or performing maintenance on existing poles.

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At Oshawa Power, we know an LDC can only be as effective as the tools they use to build and maintain the local power grid. As the most important tools in our industry, we take pride in our fleet and ensure each of our vehicles are kept in ideal shape to allow our team to provide our city with one of the most reliable power grids in our province.

Now, when you see our team around the city you will better understand the importance of the vehicles we use to continue providing a safe and reliable supply of power to our city.

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Canada, the Great White North, land of the world’s finest maple syrup, home of the Rocky Mountains, with rich natural landscapes spanning from sea to shining sea, and a reputation as one of the kindest countries on Earth.

As Canadians, we have lots to be proud of including a long and impressive history of innovation and world-changing inventions. From insulin to peanut butter, generations of Canada’s most visionary thinkers have developed technologies that change the way we live at home and across the globe.

In honour of Canada’s biggest national holiday, we’re celebrating some of our nation’s most electric innovators. Join us on this journey of discovery and appreciation for Canadian innovations that use electricity to light up our lives, keep us connected, and get us where we need to be.

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Alexander Graham Bell

One of Canada’s most well-known inventors, Bell developed an important technology that billions across the globe use each and every day: the telephone.

Raised by his mother, an accomplished pianist despite her deafness, and his father, a professor studying the field of human speech, Bell developed a deeply personal interest in sound technology. From a young age, his curiosity led to a handful of useful inventions including an automatic corn husker at the age of 12.

In the early 1870s, Bell became transfixed by the idea that it could be possible to transmit human voice over wires using electricity. Working together with his partner Thomas Watson, the team developed a working solution in 1875 and raced to the patent office, narrowly beating out rival inventors Meucci and Gray.

Granted his patent for the telephone in March 1876, Bell officially made the first ever phone call, instructing his partner, “Mr. Watson, come here. I want you.”

Bell’s other notable inventions include the metal detector, graphophone, and audiometer.

John Joseph Wright

Born in Yarmouth, England, Wright first arrived in Canada as a millwright in the early 1870s before he began pursuing electrical experiments and inventions. Wright first began working on the development of improved electrical generators in the late 1870s which eventually led to the installation of North America’s first electric-arc street lamp.

Wright would eventually open Toronto’s first commercial power station and began providing electric lighting to businesses in the city before changing focus to his most famous invention: the very first electric streetcar.

Commissioned by the Toronto Industrial Exhibition in 1883 to install a demonstration electric railway, Wright’s original design failed to accomplish the task. Trying again in 1884, Wright was able to motorize a Grand Truck flatcar, successfully developing the first electric streetcar. To this day, electric streetcars remain an important mode of transportation throughout Toronto and in cities across the world.

George Klein

A renowned Canadian inventor, born in Hamilton, Ontario in 1904, George Klein plied his trade as a mechanical engineer and designer for more than 40 years, contributing to countless innovations from wind tunnels, to space shuttles, and even nuclear reactors.

Despite his wide ranging contributions, Klein remained most proud of the “Klein Chair”, the world’s first mass-produced electric wheelchair. Klein’s invention was born in the aftermath of the Second World War and the revolutionary use of penicillin in modern medicine. As the use of penicillin became increasingly common in combating infection, the likelihood of surviving wartime spinal cord injuries had increased dramatically, leading to less fatalities but an increasing number of disabled war veterans.

Thanks to strong advocacy from Canadian veterans, including para- and quadriplegics who were dissatisfied with manual wheelchair solutions, Klein was commissioned to develop an alternative to help improve the quality of life for disabled veterans. By 1953, he had developed a working prototype and began mass-producing his chair. He would later grant patent-free rights to encourage production across North America and revolutionize mobility for disabled individuals across the world.

Henry Woodward & Mathew Evans

The inventors of one of the most revolutionary technologies in human history, Woodward and Evans are far from household names. In 1874, the pair were granted Canadian patent 3,738 for their invention – the electric light bulb.

Their design, considered at the time as fully effective and sufficiently promising for commercial development, is credited by many as the first example of an electric, incandescent light bulb in history. The bulb, consisting of a glass tube, two wires, and a carbon ‘filament’, was also patented in the United States. Despite its viability, the pair did not have sufficient resources to commercialize their invention and decided instead to sell their patents to an enterprising American inventor by the name of Thomas Edison.

Edison would go on to create an improved design based on the original Woodward & Evans bulb and the rest, as they say, is history…

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When you wake up on Canada Day and turn on your lights or start a pot of coffee, just like every other day you can be sure that the electricity that powers your life will be there. Electricity can often be taken for granted, but contributes so much to improving the quality of our lives.

This Canada Day, whether you call your friends to make plans or take a streetcar into the city to celebrate, we urge you to remember the innovative Canadians that put the wonders of electricity to use to develop these revolutionary inventions that have made a difference in the lives of billions of people all across the globe.

Outages come in a variety of shapes and sizes, here’s what you need to know about what causes power outages.

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As one of Ontario’s oldest operating electricity distributors, we know a thing or two about power outages. While the days of outages caused by insufficient water flow on Oshawa Creek are long in the past, outages remain an inevitable part of what we do, both for the better and for the worse.

Building a stronger, more reliable grid for our customers is at the core of everything that we do. Each year, millions of dollars are spent maintaining and upgrading our grid to ensure that when you flip the switch, your lights come on. In fact, in our recent history, we have posted reliability numbers eclipsing 99.99%, pushing the upper bounds of what’s possible.

Despite our strive for perfect reliability, a 100% reliability score remains near impossible. Due to the nature of electrical systems, the complex integrations of equipment, and their exposure to outside forces, outages are an inevitable occurrence. By sharing how we classify outages and the most common causes, we hope to help you better understand how our grid works and how our team is working towards building an industry-leading local power system.

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Power Outage Types

In simplest terms, outages can be easily categorized into three specific types; reactionary, proactive, and momentary outages.

Reactionary Outages

Reactionary outages are likely the type of outage you think of when power outages are brought up in conversation. These outages, sometimes referred to as ‘unplanned’ outages, occur when an unexpected fault occurs on our grid, causing loss of power to our customers for an extended period of time.

Reactionary outages are clearly the most disruptive and impactful outages for our customers, as our team often must work to determine the issue, respond to the affected area, and complete necessary repairs before full restoration can be achieved. While this process can be lengthy depending on the extent of the issue, in 2022 our team averaged a response time of just 14 minutes. You can rest assured knowing that when outages happen, our team is ready to act.

While these outages are unpredictable in nature, we can, and do, act with foresight to ready our team when risk is elevated due to external factors like weather conditions.

Proactive Outages

A lesser known but equally important type of outage are proactive or ‘planned’ outages. These outages are important for numerous reasons – most notably allowing for our teams to safely complete maintenance and upgrades to our local power grid.

While these outages may still cause inconvenient disruptions to your day, we carefully plan these events to be as infrequent and non-disruptive as possible.

Our team ensures ample notice is given to homes and businesses in affected areas in case alternative arrangements must be made to limit impact on our customers.

Momentary Outages

The most misunderstood of all outage types, momentary outages or ‘blips’ as we often see them referred to by customers, can certainly be an inconvenience. Despite the inconvenience, these outages are actually a sign that our grid is working as intended.

We are proud to be one of the first local utilities to rollout a Fault Location Isolation and Service Restoration (FLISR) system that is integrated with our local power grid to almost instantly detect outages and restore service to as many customers as possible, as soon as possible. This isolates an outage to only the area directly affected by the issue, while customers that would have also experienced an extended outage in the past are restored within seconds.

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Power Outage Causes

Power grids of all sizes can be affected by a number of unique issues that cause interruptions to the delivery of electricity. At Oshawa Power we use ten distinct power outage causes, as set out by the Ontario Energy Board (OEB), to classify service interruptions.

Adverse Weather

Typically the most common of power outage causes, Adverse Weather likely doesn’t need much explaining. Power distribution equipment is often exposed to the elements and heavy rain, snow, sleet, or wind can cause damage to our grid, interrupting service to our customers.

Snow often carries the most risk due to the weight of accumulation on power lines, transformers, and other equipment. Wind can also be particularly damaging as it can cause wires, and sometimes poles to break.

Defective Equipment

Another leading cause of power outages, Defective Equipment is a classification that encapsulates a variety of issues relating back to our physical infrastructure. Generally, there are three common causes of Defective Equipment outages; a factory defect on new equipment, random failure, or failure of equipment near end of useful life.

Our Capital Rebuild Plan is developed based on data-backed Asset Condition Assessments that help us prevent equipment from reaching end of life and avoid outages caused by aging, defective equipment.

Foreign Interference

The most misunderstood of power outage causes, Foreign Interference is far less menacing than it sounds.

Foreign Interference is the general term for physical interference with our lines, transformers, and other equipment from outside sources. Usually this interference is caused by local wildlife such as raccoons or squirrels, but can include motor vehicle accidents, aerial contact, or sometimes even a giant source of national pride.

We have proactively implemented a Critter Guard installation program at all transformer stations and on all new transformer installations to mitigate the risk of these outages.

Tree Contact

Another potential source of interference with our grid is local vegetation. Due to the usual proximity of our infrastructure to vegetation, limbs may come into contact with our wires or other equipment causing outages.

We have developed an ongoing Tree Trimming and vegetation mapping program to pinpoint potential areas of concern and prune these problem areas to help avoid these outages.

Lightning

Outages caused by Lightning generally go hand-in-hand with Adverse Weather. Electrical systems can be drastically affected when infrastructure is struck by Lightning.

Scheduled Outage

Necessary for maintaining and improving our local power grid, Scheduled Outages must occur when our crews are completing work on our grid for their safety and the safety of our local community.

To minimize the impact of Scheduled Outages on your daily life, we will always communicate upcoming planned outages via the delivery of a Planned Outage Notice to all service addresses that will be impacted.

Loss of Supply

In Ontario, each Local Distribution Company (LDC) is connected to the larger provincial grid where electricity generated at hydroelectric, nuclear, and other generation facilities is distributed across high-voltage lines to transformer stations where it is ‘stepped down’ and delivered to the end user. When an issue occurs along these high-voltage lines or at a transformer station preventing electricity from reaching an LDC’s grid, the result is a Loss of Supply outage. These are quite rare but can be among the most impactful power outage causes.

Adverse Environment

Outages caused by Adverse Environment are another rarity. These outages occur when our distribution equipment is subjected to abnormal factors such as salt spray, industrial contamination, corrosion, or fire, among other potential issues.

Human Element

An exceedingly rare cause of power outages in Oshawa and across the province, there is still some human element involved in certain steps of the electricity distribution process. When human action causes an issue with the delivery of electricity, it is classified as a Human Element outage. We experienced no outages caused by Human Element in 2022.

Other/Unclassified

The last outage type is the most vague. In rare cases when a direct cause cannot be reliably determined, the outage will remain Unclassified.

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We hope that this information has helped you to better understand the types and causes of power outages, some of the challenges our team faces in delivering safe and reliable electricity to your home or business, and the strategies we have in place to minimize downtime and mitigate outage risk.

We encourage you to continue to report outages when they happen via our online Outage Centre and let us know about your experience. Even with our industry-leading FLISR system detecting outages instantly, your reports can help us pinpoint exact locations where issues or interference may be present, leading to a quicker response and shorter service interruption.

While no power outages would be an ideal outcome for our customers, unfortunately that goal remains unattainable. Despite the near impossibility of 100% reliability, our team continues to strive towards the best possible reliability we can provide, aiming to reach ‘four nines’ or greater than 99.99% reliability each and every year.

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Sharing everything we know about Ontario’s new ULO rate plan option.

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On November 1st, 2020, a new era began in Ontario’s electricity market with the introduction of the Tiered Pricing Plan and Customer Choice Rates. Fast forward three years and the Ontario Energy Board is on track to introduce a new pricing plan, the Ultra-low Overnight (ULO) Electricity Price Plan. Regulated Price Plan (RPP) customers, a classification that includes most Oshawa Power customers, will now have the choice to switch freely between three different pricing plans.

The availability of a new choice raises new questions. Which plan is best for you? How can you make the right choice to save on your electricity bills? The answer to these questions, much like for the choice between TOU and Tiered Pricing, hinges on a variety of factors including your lifestyle, current energy use habits, and ability to shift your load away from On-Peak hours.

To help you understand more about the new ULO Plan — how it works, proposed rates, and who this plan may be best suited for — we’ve rounded up everything we know about the new ultra-low pricing to help you feel confident in your choice.

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Background

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With energy demand steadily increasing year-over-year in Ontario, and a marked increase in demand from the electrification of transportation expected in the coming years, the Ontario Energy Board is working to develop new strategies to encourage the shifting of demand to Off-Peak and overnight periods.

The ULO Pricing Plan was designed with electric transportation in mind. As electric vehicle (EV) adoption gathers momentum and Ontario sees an increasing number of EVs hitting the roads, we know that something must be done to mitigate the possibility of soaring peak demand caused by vehicle charging. By charging an ultra-low rate during periods of lowest forecasted demand, this will encourage consumers to charge EVs or use their highest consuming electronics overnight, helping customers save on their electricity bills and our provincial energy grid manage peak demand.

Much like the current TOU pricing plan, the ULO Plan incentivizes shifting your energy use overnight. Where the plans differ, is in the hours and energy costs for that off peak usage.

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Launch Date

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The Ontario Energy Board has announced that Local Distribution Companies (LDCs) across Ontario will be allowed to begin offering the new ULO Pricing Plan as early as May 1st, 2023. By November 1st, 2023, all LDCs in Ontario will be required to offer the ULO Pricing Plan to their customers.

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Hours

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The ULO Pricing Plan is structured similarly to the TOU Pricing Plan, with customer usage falling into distinct Pricing Periods depending on the time of day and day of the week. Where the new plan differs is in the actual hours considered On-Peak, Mid-Peak, and the new Ultra-low Overnight. Another key difference under the ULO Pricing Plan, is the inclusion of an additional Weekend and Holiday Off-Peak class.

Let’s have a look at how these hours breakdown for the ULO Pricing Plan:

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PRICE PERIOD	HOURS
On-Peak	Weekdays, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Mid-Peak	Weekdays, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Weekend Off-Peak	Weekdays & Holidays, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Ultra-Low Overnight	Everyday, 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.

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While the hours are new, you can see that the general idea remains the same as under TOU pricing — if you’re looking to minimize your electricity costs and maximize your savings, shifting your usage to periods of low demand is the way to go.

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ULO Rates

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PRICE PERIOD	RATES
On-Peak	24.0¢/kWh
Mid-Peak	10.2¢/kWh
Weekend Off-Peak	7.4¢/kWh
Ultra-Low Overnight	2.4¢/kWh

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Tips

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It’s time to answer the burning question — should you switch to the new ULO Pricing Plan when it becomes available? The answer, once again, depends on your habits and lifestyle.

If you are someone who works evenings or schedules most of your energy use to occur overnight, this plan may make sense for you and allow you to save on your electricity bills.

For owners of EVs, this plan may also be a great way to lower your cost of ownership and find even more savings. By managing your home energy use and ensuring all charging takes place overnight, this plan could lead to significant cost reductions.

Alternatively, if you are someone with a large family or who is home using electronics every evening, the ULO Pricing Plan is likely not ideal for you.

The good news about Customer Choice Rates is that Ontario electricity consumers have the power to switch freely between their options. Wondering if a certain plan might help you save? Give it a shot! After one bill, you are always free to switch back.

We hope that this information helps you better understand the new Ultra-low Overnight Pricing Plan and allows you to make an educated choice about which plan works best for your lifestyle.

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Customer Choice

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Looking for more information about your options under Customer Choice Rates? Check out our Customer Choice page to get all the details and find out how to make your choice.

Powering a city of more than 175,00 people is a task that requires extensive planning and careful coordination, not only to ensure our grid is designed to be as resilient as possible but to ensure all of our critical systems are working together to provide first-class service to the City of Oshawa. In order to ensure we can continue to offer industry-leading reliability, we rely on the expertise provided by an adept team of engineers.

From veteran electrical engineers to talented engineers in training (EITs) that will help shape the future of electricity distribution in our province, our team has helped us build a modern, innovative utility that is prepared to power the Oshawa of the future.

In honour of National Engineering Month, we sat down with three members of our team to discuss their experience as engineering professionals in the power industry.

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Who are you and what is your discipline?

Maged Yackoub (P. Eng.): Hi I’m Maged, CTO & Director Business Transformation here at Oshawa Power. I am a Computer Engineer, receiving my P. Eng. designation about 7 years ago and working in the utility industry for about 15 years.

Aiyappa Devanira Ganapathy: My name is Aiyappa, I joined Oshawa Power as a Distribution EIT late last year. I graduated from the University of Windsor in 2021, majoring in Electrical Engineering.

Amir Altaf (P. Eng., PMP): Hello, I am Amir Altaf. My background is Electrical Engineering with a specialty in Power Systems. I have been a Senior Distribution Engineer with the Oshawa Power team since the beginning of 2023 and worked in the power industry for more than a decade previously.

What inspired you to pursue a career in engineering?

Maged: For as long as I can remember I’ve delighted in problem-solving and designing unique solutions. The ability to innovate and continue to learn and build on previous experience to solve a wide range of problems that inevitably arise made engineering a natural outlet for me.

Aiyappa: Much like Maged, I’ve always enjoyed problem-solving and researching the different tools that can be used to find solutions. The use of logic to solve problems has always been highly intuitive to me and combined with my love of mathematics, engineering seemed like a pathway that would be highly motivating and offer the gratification and sense of accomplishment that comes with seeing my ideas come to life.

Amir: For me, I’ve always viewed engineering as a way to contribute to society and help create solutions to problems affecting all living things on our planet. The ability to design tools and techniques that help improve lives, benefit the environment, etc. is highly motivational to me. Engineering encourages analytical thinking and seeks answers to questions like what, who, and how?

How did your engineering career lead to the utilities sector?

Maged: It started very early for me with a co-op term as a developer at a local utility. Upon my graduation, this translated into a full-time job as I continued working towards my engineering credentials.

Aiyappa: Landing in the utility sector was really a happy accident for me. I also got started on a co-op term with another Ontario-based utility and returned for all my required co-op terms during my degree. This experience not only led to a full-time role after graduation but inspired a passion for the industry, both for the technical aspects that excite me and the sense of community within the sector.

What has been your greatest challenge so far?

Aiyappa: No professional challenge can compare to moving to a new country in pursuit of my career and the distance between myself and my family has been my greatest challenge. Their support and faith in me makes me want to work even harder and knowing that they take pride in my career path is something I find comfort in.

Amir: Right from the beginning, the pursuit of my Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering was a huge challenge. The amount of work and dedication that goes into our training is often more difficult than the challenges we face further along in our career. My personal goal of breaking into the Canadian public utility sector was also a huge challenge that I was proud to accomplish in 2019.

What is your proudest contribution to a project as an engineer?

Aiyappa: I take pride in every project that I’ve been a part of so far but being so early in my engineering career, I’m confident that my proudest achievements are still to come!

Amir: Delivering multiple station design, procurement, and construction projects is something I am incredibly proud of. These projects are often highly complex and allow the utility to improve reliability and contribute to the growth and resiliency of the local community.

What advice would you give to someone interested in pursuing engineering?

Aiyappa: It is going to be hard, but don’t be daunted by the difficulty of the pursuit. There will be times where you are pushed to your limit but consistency and passion will help you overcome these challenges.

Amir: Start your pursuit with a vast scope. While you may start with one discipline in mind, by exploring Electrical, Mechanical, Civil, etc. you may find that something you didn’t expect sparks a passion in you. You will have time to specialize later on, experiencing a wide variety of disciplines will help make you a better engineer.

Maged: Learn to work hard and to document everything – your brilliant ideas, solutions, and even conversations are worth nothing in time if they are not documented properly. It isn’t always the ‘smart’ people who succeed, but those willing to put in the work and commit to continuous improvement as a way of life. Always ask yourself and others how things can be done better next time, humbly accept criticism and advice and keep trying to be the best you can be.

Lastly, no matter what, be honest and pursue truth. There is no situation in which the objective truth is not the right way forward, even if it comes at a cost to you!

When the time comes to complete home maintenance or tackle renovations, we understand that costs can add up. Learning to do-it-yourself (DIY) can be an effective way to keep costs down while learning new, valuable skills. But when it comes to DIY electrical work, we recommend thinking twice.

Electrical work is not only highly complex and potentially dangerous, but the consequences of DIY electrical work errors can be catastrophic. While homeowners in Ontario have the option to take on minor DIY electrical work, Oshawa Power agrees with the Electrical Safety Authority’s take on this option — leave it to the pros.

Licensed professional electricians have the tools, expertise, and know-how to ensure your electrical work is completed safely and in accordance with the Ontario Electrical Safety Code (OESC). Hiring a pro could not only avoid costly errors that could lead to potential injuries, electrical fires, or home insurance issues, but will also save you time and grant you peace of mind.

If you’re still thinking about taking on DIY electrical work in your home, here are some key considerations to ensure your work is completed safely and up to code.

Know the Code

All electrical work completed in Ontario is required by law to meet the Ontario Electrical Safety Code (OESC). Updated every three years and approved by the provincial government, the OESC is designed help keep you and your family safe by outlining the standards all electrical installations and products must meet.

Before purchasing the tools and equipment required to complete your DIY electrical work, it is important to familiarize yourself with the OESC. By understanding the standards that your project will be required to meet, you can make an informed decision about how to proceed. While the OESC is a lengthy document, taking time to know and understand Ontario’s standards is the only way you can ensure your project plan will be up to code.

To purchase the most recent version of the OESC, visit the CSA’s website.

Planning Your DIY Electrical Work

You’ve reviewed the code and are comfortable taking on your DIY electrical project, what’s next?

We recommend developing a full project plan, including diagrams, so you can ensure you are working safely and following the OESC. By carefully planning your work, you can ensure no important steps are missed or left incomplete, putting yourself and your home at risk.

When planning your project, it is important to remember that only individuals living in your home can complete electrical work in your home. If your project is large enough to require an extra set of hands, you can hire a license electrician to assist you. Asking friends or neighbours to help you out is prohibited by the OESC and could compromise your project.

Notifying the ESA

After you’ve planned out your project and begun your DIY electrical work, you must ensure you notify the ESA. By Ontario law, once electrical work is underway (even for small jobs!) the ESA must be notified within 48 hours.

Notifying the ESA of project commencement includes a notification fee that varies based on the scope of the work. The ESA has made it easy to learn more about submitting a notification form and associated fees.

Book Your Inspection

ESA inspections are required to help ensure your project is completed safely and up to code. All electrical work completed in Ontario is required by law to undergo inspection. Inspection requirements will vary dependent on the scope and complexity of your project.

Not only is inspection required by-law, but the ESA’s approval grants you peace of mind, knowing your electrical project was completed safely and without risk of future electrical fires or other hazards.

Just Hire a Pro

We know that initials estimates on electrical work can seem pricey, but the time, cost, and risk involved in DIY electrical work usually isn’t worth the minimal savings, if any, it provides. Hiring a pro is always our recommended choice.

Licensed Electrical Contractors (LECs) have proven their skills and expertise to the ESA and will help take the hassle out of completing your project by handling everything for you. Plus, hiring a licensed professional means your job is fully insured, eliminating some of the risks associated with completing electrical work around your home.

Find a Licensed Local Contractor

Finding a local LEC is a simple process. The ESA’s Lookup Tool helps you quickly find LECs across Ontario and provides their contact details.

Now that you understand the considerations and risks involved with completing DIY electrical work in Ontario, you can make an informed decision about how to proceed with your project. Whether you hire a pro or choose to do-it-yourself, we encourage you to always comply with local regulations to ensure you keep yourself and your loved ones safe from electrical hazards.

National Homemade Soup Day, celebrated every February 4th, couldn’t have come at a better time this year. With a polar vortex taking hold across Ontario, this weekend is set to bring some of the coldest temperatures of the year.

We know that warming up on the coldest of days can be difficult and cause our home heating systems to work overtime. A warm, hearty soup could be the perfect meal to help combat the cold, and with these 5 low energy recipes made using small appliances, you could avoid the high-usage day that comes with the cold.

While most daily cooking uses a large appliance like your oven or stove top, using a smaller appliance such as a slow cooker, instant pot, or microwave to prep your meals could lead to significant savings.

Switching to small appliances doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, most small appliance recipes are significantly easier and require less clean up. Even most of your favourite recipes can be easily adapted for small appliance cooking.

Don’t believe us? Check out these 5 soup favourites that can be made with small appliances!

Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

Let’s start things off with a classic! Chicken noodle soup is the perfect soup for the winter, sure to warm you up and help you get over inevitable winter sicknesses.

This classic chicken noodle soup is made with simple ingredients that can be found at nearly any grocery store and is ready in under 30 minutes.

The best part? Depending on the dish, instant pots can be as much as 8 times more efficient than using the oven!

Slow Cooker Chili

Whether you’re someone who considers chili a soup or someone who thinks it’s a stew, one thing we can all agree on is that homemade chili makes a great winter warmer and an even better Super Bowl snack.

While this recipe does include a brief use of the stove top to brown your beef, this slow cooker chili recipe spends the bulk of its cooking time in the crock pot.

Just how efficient is choosing the crock pot over the stove top? Slow cookers generally only use 50 to 300 watts. With a standard incandescent bulb using 100 watts, it’s like swapping the stovetop for a couple light bulbs!

Toaster Oven Roasted Tomato Soup

Another soup standard, this roasted tomato and basil soup can be made low energy by swapping the traditional oven roasting process for roasting in the toaster oven.

Adapting this recipe isn’t as difficult as it sounds! This simple calculator makes it easy to convert recipes for the toaster oven while using less than half the energy of a traditional oven.

For bonus savings, make your accompanying grilled cheese (let’s face it, they should always go together!) in the toaster oven too.

No Cook Gazpacho

A soup with no cooking? You better believe it! This tomato-based gazpacho requires absolutely no heat to prepare.

While gazpacho is not a traditional winter soup, this is a delicious recipe to change things up or to save for the warmer months. The fresh summer flavours will instantly transport you to a warm, sunny day, even when it is -20°C outside.

Looking to make this one more winter and energy-friendly? Skip the cooling process and serve at room temperature (we like it better that way!).

Microwaved Habitant™ Soup

Okay, we know that it’s technically National Homemade Soup Day, but who can resist this Canadian classic? This French Canadian staple is one of Canada’s best known soups and always hits the spot, staying true to the traditional early-20th century recipe.

Just open the can, fill your bowl, and pop it in the microwave! Dinner (or lunch) is ready in just a few minutes while using up to 60% less energy than heating it up on the stovetop.

However you prefer to celebrate National Homemade Soup Day, try sticking to small appliances. Over the course of a year, switching even one meal a week to a small appliance can lead to big electricity savings!

As we enter hockey season, we are excited to support a 2-year commitment for this important, local community-focused program. The Oshawa Generals and Oshawa Power reward students who excel in academics, athletics, and extracurricular activities with tickets to support the Generals.

“Oshawa is a hockey town, so it was a natural fit for us when the General’s approached us. Rewarding students for their achievements with local experiences we know they will enjoy is wonderful. The Generals and Oshawa Power are long-standing community citizens, and supporting our next generation of leaders, on the ice and in the class makes sense.”

– Denise Carpenter, Interim President & CEO, Oshawa Power

Oshawa Power will also use this opportunity and partnership to amplify a continued focus on public safety messaging with kids and parents in the region – starting with electrical safety.

“We know that effective public safety messaging helps communities protect themselves in emergencies and disasters related to all hazards. Together, with sharing accessible visuals and messages, we hope to help educate our young community to keep them safe and remember to know what to do in emergencies.”

– Jennifer McHugh, Communications Manager, Oshawa Power

For Additional safety information, review these resources

Safety & Outages
Kids’ Safety
Vehicle Safety

Heating and cooling your home is no small expense. It’s estimated that more than 60% of your home energy costs are associated with keeping your home cool in the summer and warm during the winter.

However, installing a heat pump could be the answer to driving down your heating and cooling costs and saving you hundreds of dollars every year. Heat pumps offer an efficient alternative that can replace both your heating and cooling systems (some can even replace your water heater!).

From saving you money on your bills, to decreasing your carbon footprint, and reducing maintenance costs, the benefits of heat pumps make them a great choice for your next home energy upgrade.

What is a Heat Pump?

Heat pumps are devices that move heat from one location to another. Simple right? But how do they work?

While many different types of heat pumps are available, the basics remain the same; they are a heat transfer device. By moving, or transferring, heat from one location to another rather than burning fuel, heat pumps can operate at a much higher efficiency (up to 600%!) than other HVAC solutions.

In simple terms; a heat pump will transfer heat from the outside air to heat your home or transfer heat from inside your home back outside to cool your home.

Benefits of Heat Pumps

We’ve put together a list of some of the benefits of heat pumps to help you decide if installing a heat pump makes sense for your home:

Heating and Cooling Savings

Let’s get this one out of the way: do heat pumps offer savings over traditional HVAC systems? Yes!

Heat pumps can reduce the cost of electric heating by up to 50%. For homes heated with natural gas, heat pumps can still lead to yearly savings of more than $100 (and rising).

Lower Maintenance

Compared to traditional HVAC systems, heat pumps have the benefit of a much less grueling maintenance schedule. Regular yearly maintenance can generally be accomplished by the homeowner, with professional check ups recommended every 3 to 5 years.

As a bonus, heat pumps often replace two systems; your A/C and furnace, decreasing the need for maintenance even further!

Rebates and Loans

While the benefits of heat pumps are obvious, the installation cost can be a hurdle for many homeowners. However, with many local and federal programs in place to help retrofit your home, you may be eligible for grants, rebates, and/or low-interest loans to make a heat pump more affordable.

Increased Efficiency

For the environmentally conscious, heat pumps offer a massive opportunity to reduce your personal carbon footprint. Recent numbers show that heat pumps can reduce your carbon consumption for heating and cooling by between 20% and 70%.

Safe Choice

With no internal combustion, heat pumps offer a safer solution for your home. Switching to a heat pump can help make furnace fires and carbon monoxide leaks a thing of the past.

Is a Heat Pump Right For Me?

Heat pumps are a great solution for most residential spaces, but aren’t ideal for everyone. To find out if a heat pump is right for your space, check out the Durham Greener Homes program and book a free consultation with a Home Energy Coach.

Your Home Energy Coach will help you determine if a heat pump is right for your home, what other energy efficiency upgrades you could benefit from, and help you find rebates and low-interest loans to make your home retrofit affordable.