Heat and power consumption continues to rise as temperatures drop across Saskatchewan

WATCH: SaskEnergy and SaskPower have both seen upticks in their usage during the long extreme cold snap. Angela Stewart has the details.

The lengthy extreme cold warning in Saskatchewan makes for the perfect time to stay inside, but it also means many residents are turning up the thermostat.

“We want residents to trust that when they need to turn up the heat and keep their homes and their families warm, the natural gas is ready to flow even during the coldest days of the year,” said Jodi Woollam, manager of government and media relations with SaskEnergy.

The company said its off-season is when it prepares for temperatures to drop.

“SaskEnergy, through it’s subsidiary TransGas, [stores] significant volumes of natural gas to ensure a steady supply during periods of high demand, like we’ve had in the last couple of weeks,” said Woollam.

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SaskPower said it tends to see high consumption use during the winter months, especially during cold snaps.

“Our record is 3,910 [megawatts]. That occurred in late December few years ago. We are seeing high demand and during heat waves in the summer as well,” said SaskPower Spokesperson Joel Cherry.

Both companies told CTV News no records were broken this year. Although SaskEnergy broke a record in January of 2024 of 1.7 petajoules per day.

It’s the temperatures outside that broke records this year.

“We’ve seen records in Saskatoon, Estevan, Regina, many communities across the province have seen these records over this period of time and we’re likely to see a few more set today [Wednesday],” said Brian Proctor, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC).

The coldest day for Regina was on Feb. 17. The Queen City hit a low of -40.4 C which beat the record of minus 38.9 set in 1927.

The extreme cold warning is expected to end by Wednesday night, but ECCC anticipates more snow is on the way.

In the meantime, SaskEnergy is recommending residents to check their carbon monoxide detectors, furnace vents, intake valves, and chimneys.

“When you go home, at the end of the day, walk by your furnace vents, your intake valves and make sure they’re clear of snow and ice,” Woollam added.

“So just take that brush and gently clear off the snow and the ice that might be building up.”