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COVID-19 pandemic zaps electricity usage in Ontario as people stay home
electricity in Ontario last year fell to levels rarely seen in decades amid shifts in usage patterns caused by pandemic measures, new data show.The decline came despite a hot summer that had people rushing to crank up the air conditioning at home, the province’s power management agency said.“We do have this very interesting shift in who’s using the energy,” said Chuck Farmer, senior director of power system planning with the Independent Electricity System Operator.“Residential users are using more electricity than we thought they would and the commercial consumers are using less.” Hot summer weather increases electricity demand, boosts Hydro One revenue and profit The onset of the pandemic last March prompted stay-home orders, businesses