Maintain Your Utilities In Good Standing

It is important that you keep all of your utilities in good standing, whenever your account falls into arrears we receive either letters or telephone calls regarding your account.

We will receive a letter from Manitoba Hydro if your account is scheduled for disconnection or load limited. It will read like the following ( Please take notice that the energy service(s) supplied to your property referenced above may be scheduled for load limiting or disconnection, due to your tenant’s outstanding arrears on the account) We won’t know how far your account is in arrears but we will send you a letter asking you to make arrangements with Manitoba Hydro to pay your bill and avoid disconnection.

The second letter that Manitoba Hydro will send will read as follows. ( Please take notice that the energy service(s) supplied to your property referenced above have been load limited or disconnected, due to your tenant’s outstanding arrears on the account) When Manitoba Hydro does this we will have no choice but to proceed with a Notice of Termination for Breach of Lease. Manitoba Hydro has the authority to do this even during the winter months. The load limiter will only give you enough power to run your furnace and a few lights.

Please make every effort to keep your utility bills current and avoid any problems with your tenancy.

We don’t want anyone to have to move because of unpaid bills but we have no choice, when disconnection has been made and cannot be reconnected.

The following notice was recently sent in the monthly bill from Manitoba Hydro.

Everyone is experiencing high energy costs.

Some of the things that a tenant can do to reduce gas use are:

• Keep your thermostat low (20 - 23 degrees Celcius) so your home is comfortable and warm. (Not too warm)
• Turn the heat down (not off) during the day (18 - 20 degrees Celcius) if you are away from home and at night when going to bed.
• Change your furnace filter at least once a month during the winter. (Your furnace will consume more energy if the filter is dirty and full of dust.)
• During winter months, leave your curtains open on sunny days to let in natural light and heat and close at night to prevent heat loss.

Some of the things that a tenant can do to save on electricity are:

• Turn off lights that are not in use, and when leaving a room
• Use lower watt light bulbs wherever possible, or use compact fluorescent light bulbs. (A 15 watt compact fluorescent light bulb produces the same light as a typical 60 watt light bulb and saves 45 watts for every hour you leave the light on.)
• Do not allow children to play with small electrical appliances, and do not leave them running when not in use.
• Use cold water to wash and rinse your laundry. Only wash full loads of laundry. (Be careful not to overload the machine.)
• Clean lint from the lint catcher in your dryer after every use. Check the outside vent and clean occasionally. Clean appliances use less hydro.
• Never use the oven for heating the house, or for anything else but cooking. Leaving the door open consumes excess power and creates danger for children. Turn it off as soon as you are finished.