5 tips for maximizing credit and comfort during peak events

In Quebec, peak events can occur from December 1st to March 31st, between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. and between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. on weekdays. These periods can pay off significantly thanks to Hydro-Québec's dynamic pricing options and Sinopé Technologies. 

Take advantage of Hydro-Québec's mail-in rebate of up to 75% on the purchase of Sinopé electric heating thermostats, and apply these five easy tips to boost your savings and comfort.

1 – Activate Éco Sinopé, and that's it!

When activated, Éco Sinopé automates the settings given to thermostats and a variety of compatible smart devices to shift energy consumption away from peak events. You only need to activate Éco Sinopé once and never have to do anything again. Éco Sinopé handles peak events automatically.

For each kilowatt-hour shifted (min. 2 kWh/event), Hydro-Québec credits $0.53 on the electricity bill.

Since 2021, Éco Sinopé users enrolled in dynamic pricing have received an average of $163.69 per winter in credit on their electricity bill.

2 – Choose the right profile for your lifestyle

Five Éco Sinopé profiles are available to ensure maximum comfort and savings. These profiles correspond to preheating 2 hours before the start of an event and lowering the setpoint temperature during the event.

Whether your household is solo, duo or in a family format, and no matter your lifestyle, a saving profile is designed for you. The profiles Cold-sensitive (+1.5 / -1.5), Balanced (+2/-2), Adventurer (+2/-5), Daredevil (+2 / -10) or Artist (different preheat and set-back for each device) allow you to select a preheat and set-back tailored to your needs. Choosing a profile that suits your lifestyle is the winning formula that will encourage you to participate in as many peak events as possible, reducing the drop-out rate.

3 – Preheating for comfort and coziness

Thanks to preheating two hours beforehand, the thermostat's setpoint temperature can be lowered by several degrees without causing discomfort during a peak event. In this way, we store the heat in the house and the savings in our pockets.

4 – Select different setpoints for morning and evening events

It's a fact that your morning and evening routines are different and don't involve using the same rooms in the house. So it's a good idea to choose different setpoints for the morning and the evening - which Éco Sinopé allows you to do - to maximize savings and comfort when it counts.

Is the morning routine between 6:00 and 9:00 spent in the kitchen and bathroom? If so, take it easy and choose a more conservative profile with lower setpoint temperatures in these rooms. In the evening, do you usually go to bed after 10:00 p.m.? Then, go all out, with significantly lower setpoint temperatures in the bedrooms.

5 – It's worth it to get the water heater on board

Thanks to Éco Sinopé and the Calypso water heater controller, you can turn off your water heater automatically during peak events without fear of running out of hot water during the day. With water heating accounting for up to 20% of your electricity bill, it's well worth activating the hot water tank during off-peak events!