VAUGHAN, ONTARIO -- (Marketwire) -- 07/17/12 -- The heat wave that has been scorching southern Ontario over the past few days, along with today's record temperature, have increased electricity consumption in PowerStream's service territory resulting in the municipally-owned utility reaching a milestone today for peak demand.

PowerStream's System Control Centre at 2:25 p.m. reported an electricity peak demand level for its service territory of 1,967 megawatts (MW), exceeding the previous peak demand record of 1,961 MW set on July 21, 2011.

CORE NEWS

--  Conservation programs offered by PowerStream to their customers over the
    last few years have played a significant role in preventing consumption
    levels from being even higher. In 2011 alone, customer adoption of
    PowerStream conservation programs helped to achieve electricity savings
    in the utility's service territory of 19 gigawatt (GWh) hours. 
    
--  PowerStream customers wanting to learn more about utility's conservation
    program offerings through the "saveONenergy" campaign, can visit
    www.powerstream.saveonenergy.ca. 
    

QUOTES

--  "PowerStream customers have been very proactive in adopting our
    conservation initiatives," said Frank Scarpitti, PowerStream's Board
    Chair and Mayor of the City of Markham. "Hitting peak power use on hot
    days like these, people want to stay safe and cool, while still being
    energy efficient." 
    
--  "Each year we connect a significant number of new customers to our
    distribution grid," explained Brian Bentz, PowerStream's President and
    CEO, in reference to the more than 7,000 customers the utility added in
    2011. "When you combine this with the successive days of above 30 degree
    temperatures we have been experiencing, it's easy to see why a peak
    demand record was set today within our service territory." 
    

ABOUT POWERSTREAM

PowerStream is the second largest municipally-owned electricity distribution company in Ontario, providing service to approximately 340,000 customers residing or owning a business in communities located immediately north of Toronto and in Central Ontario, including Alliston, Aurora, Barrie, Beeton, Bradford West Gwillimbury, Markham, Penetanguishene, Richmond Hill, Thornton, Tottenham and Vaughan. It is an incorporated entity, jointly owned by the municipalities of Barrie, Markham and Vaughan.

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