Meters prove not so smart

January 7, 2010
The Toronto Sun

McGuinty and his ministers assured the public the new, hi-tech meters would save consumers money and promote energy conservation by allowing customers to track power usage hour by hour and to purchase electricity for household uses, such as laundry and dishwashing, when it was cheapest.  "Smart meters, together with more flexible pricing, would allow Ontarians to save money if they run appliances in off-peak hours," the premier said in April 2004.  Then-energy minister George Smitherman estimated last May time-shifting could save people 3%-5% on their monthly bill. Toronto Hydro now says, so far, that's not the case. 

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Oil trades above $81 a barrel

The Globe and Mail
January 5, 2010

Prices, which have been propped up by a weak dollar, will get even more support as winter weather chills the country. The U.S. may be using less crude, but China and other developing nations are using more to fuel their burgeoning manufacturing industries, and that can push prices higher in the U.S. as well. Gasoline, heating oil and other fuels are already heading higher and may continue to do so as the market tests how much people are willing to pay for energy, analysts said.

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World oil demand to accelerate: IEA

The Globe and Mail
December 11, 2009

Growth in global oil demand will accelerate next year as the world recovers from economic slowdown, the International Energy Agency said on Friday.  The IEA's monthly oil market report raised its oil demand growth forecast for 2010 compared with 2009 by 120,000 bpd, saying the increase in fuel consumption was being driven by countries such as India and China and also by the rich industrialized nations of the West.

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