Ryan, I agree with your point on the imbalance in people’s concerns about electricity vs. heating …
Rob, the lower electricity costs that you speak of for B.C. are definitely unique to “the South” … we have electricity rates ranging from ~$0.2973/kWh all the way up to $0.6083 when usage goes above GNWT subsidy threshold limits of 700 kWh (Summer) & 1000 kWh (Winter)
http://www.ntpc.com/customer-service/residential-service/what-is-my-power-rate
The rates for the thermal communities would be the higher 60.86 cents/kWh but the GNWT subsidy decreases that substantially, to off-set the higher diesel electricity generation costs. As a result, there is also a skewed sense of electricity costs as not being as high as they really are around the NWT.
People are definitely more “tuned in” to the impacts of high electricity prices/bills but this doesn’t often translate to a decrease in usage, moreso, greater #’s of people unhappy about their electricity bills.
Barriers #2 & #3 (lack of knowledge on EE & incentives respectively) are likely more significantly factoring in here … something I observe quite often, when I am able to work with folks to help them understand their electricity bills & these subsidy threshold details or the impacts of standby/phantom power, etc. Overall though, amid the complaints of high bills & seeming apathy about these issues, if people have a limited ability to cover their utility bills, they tend to be more mindful of their electricity/heating fuel usage.
