Toronto Hydro Sock Exchange: Now Looking For Lonesome Socks
Survey shows that almost one in ten Torontonians hold on to a lonely sock for at least a year
TORONTO, May 7 /CNW/ - Toronto Hydro-Electric System Limited ("Toronto Hydro") has found through a survey with Leger Marketing(1) that nine per cent of Torontonians hold on to a lonely sock for at least a year while others (almost one in five) keep that lonely sock forever in hopes of a reunion with its 'sole mate'. Toronto Hydro can help customers battling the lonely sock syndrome in two ways.
Take a Load Off: In partnership with Toronto-area The Home Depot Stores, Caplan's Appliances and the City of Toronto, customers that purchase a new ENERGY STAR washing machine in the months of April, May and June (2010) will receive an $80 instant rebate, a $60 mail-in rebate from the City of Toronto, plus an eco-friendly indoor drying rack (valued at $68.) ENERGY STAR washing machines not only save water and electricity, front-loading machines may also help to reduce the occurrence of missing socks.(2)
Toronto Hydro Sock Exchange: For those socks already widowed, Toronto Hydro is now offering the Sock Exchange. The first 100 customers who send in a photo and brief description of their lonely sock to [email protected] will receive a free eco-friendly indoor drying rack. All candidates will be reviewed for compatibility with other socks in the database. Owners will be notified and matches will be posted on the website. For more information on both programs, go to www.torontohydro.com/wash
OTHER LAUNDRY FACTS
- On average, Torontonians spend about 3 hours a week doing laundry. - Only 19 per cent of dads/husbands are responsible for the laundry. - Watching television is the most popular past-time while waiting for laundry to be done (61 per cent) followed by house cleaning (55 per cent) and surfing the net (53 per cent). - Nearly half the Torontonians surveyed who are in a relationship (45 per cent) say that their spouse or partner has ruined their clothing in the wash. - Where do the socks go? Almost 25 per cent of Torontonians think that the missing sock has gone to a better place or that a sock gremlin has taken them. While 49 per cent think that they are likely stuck in other clothes. - As many as 19 per cent of Torontonians hold out hope for a lonely sock by keeping it forever, while six per cent are hasty, getting rid of it after just one week. - Demographically, men are slightly more likely to hold on to a lonely sock for only a week (eight per cent vs. four per cent among women). - How long do they hold on to the sock? Six per cent hold on to the sock for one week; 18 per cent for one month; 15 per cent six months; 9 per cent for one year and 19 per cent hold on to that sock forever. - The clothes washer promotion and Toronto Hydro Sock Exchange is valid from April 1, 2010 until June 30, 2010. - According to the survey, eight per cent of Torontonians are are planning on or thinking about buying a new washer and dryer in the next three months. - Clothes dryers account for 15 per cent of household appliance consumption.(3) - ENERGY STAR qualified washing machines use at least 30 per cent less electricity than other washers.(3) They also use up to 50 per cent less water and the combined water and electricity savings can total almost $68 a year. As well, if customers use a clothes drying rack even just a quarter of the time (instead of a dryer), they could save another $21 a year. - Running a tap for five minutes can use as much energy as leaving a 60-watt light bulb burning for 14 hours.(4) - Through its conservation and demand management programs, Toronto Hydro has achieved savings of 121,456 MWh bringing its total savings to approximately 655,010 MWh since the start of its programs in 2005.
Links:
For the washing machine program and the Toronto Hydro Sock Exchange: www.torontohydro.com/wash
Caplan's Appliances: http://www.caplans.ca
City of Toronto Water Efficiency: www.toronto.ca/waterff
The Home Depot: http://www.homedepot.ca/ecooptions
BOILERPLATE
Toronto Hydro Corporation is a holding company, which wholly-owns two principal subsidiaries:
- Toronto Hydro-Electric System Limited - which distributes electricity and engages in Conservation and Demand Management ("CDM") activities; and - Toronto Hydro Energy Services Inc. - which provides street lighting services.
The principal business of the Corporation and its subsidiaries is the distribution of electricity by Toronto Hydro-Electric System Limited. Toronto Hydro-Electric System owns and operates an electricity distribution system, which delivers electricity to approximately 690,000 customers located in the City of Toronto. It is the largest municipal electricity distribution company in Canada and distributes approximately 18% of the electricity consumed in Ontario.
1. Leger Marketing, using a national random sample of 1077 respondents from Leger Marketing's Web panel, this method simulates a probability sample which would yield a maximum margin of error of +\-3.0%, 19 times out of 20; 2. Discussions with Bosch Canada; 3. NRCan and OPA Technology Assessment Study, Ontario Power Authority; 4. Benefits of Water Efficiency, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
/NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release is available at http://photos.newswire.ca. Images are free to accredited members of the media/
For further information: Tanya Bruckmueller, Toronto Hydro, [email protected], W: (416) 542-2621, C: (416) 903-0440
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