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Get 2-for-1 tickets to the BC Home + Garden Show, talk to our team
In just over a year with BC Hydro's Community Team, Mandy Sheppard has had conversations with customers across B.C., in places as far-flung as Haida Gwaii. Now she's in charge of planning events, and it's a long list.
"We try to get to as many as 300 events in a year," she says. "We're at fall and spring home shows. We give energy saving kits to people at food banks and we hold LINC (Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada)
events."
Virtual events present the opportunity to reach a lot of customers in a fun atmosphere punctuated with prize giveaways. But when the Community Team gets out to events across the province, it's time for the one-to-one conversations that make the reps so popular.
"A lot of conversations recently are about electrification, and what that means," says Sheppard. "We talk about how the province is leaning more on hydroelectricity and away from non-renewable resources like gas. And we definitely get a lot of questions about BC Hydro's slogan 'powered by water'. People ask, 'What is being powered by water?"
That would be everything from homes to leaf blowers and electric cars, powered by hydroelectricity that harnesses the power of water. And increasingly, it's about air-source electric heat pumps that provide year-round home comfort – heat in the winter, cooling in the summer – from clean electricity rather than from carbon-intensive natural gas, propane or oil furnaces. With combined B.C. and federal heat pump rebates of up to $7,000 for those switching from electric baseboards, to up to $11,000 for those switching from fossil fuels, there's a lot of chatter out there.
"Some people want to know how heat pumps work, and whether it makes sense for them to make the switch," she says. "Others say 'I can't afford these big changes right now, like a heat pump or an electric vehicle.' So we focus on home energy efficiency tips tips, things that can be done at home to give you more control over your energy use. Even the small tips can really help."
Here's where the Community Team will be in the coming weeks. And it's a good idea to bookmark this story, as we'll update it with more event appearances on a regular basis.
BC Home + Garden Show, March 16-19
Stop by to discover rebates and tips to help you reduce your energy costs, switch to clean electricity and save on energy efficient home upgrades. We'll be in Booth No. 1330. And don't miss us in the lobby, where we'll help you try your hand at racing to charge up an electric vehicle.
Get 2 for 1 tickets to the show with this promo code. That's $18 (with service charge included) for a pair of tickets compared to the normal advance ticket price of $34.
We'll be at the BC Home + Garden Show, at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, on the following dates:
Thursday, March 16 : 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Friday, March 17: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Saturday, March 18: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sunday, March 19: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Upcoming events
- Victoria Home, Renovation & Décor Show, February 24-26
- Nanaimo Early Spring Home Show, March 3-5
- Port Alberni Home Show, March 11-12
- Haida Gwaii renewable energy symposium - Skidegate, B.C., March 11-12
- World Water Day @ Science World - Vancouver, B.C., March 22
- Tri-City Spring Home Show - Coquitlam, B.C., March 24-26