CRIMINALS HAVE POWER SMARTS

Irony is a discrepancy between the expected and actual state of affairs.

Only irony, as defined by the folks at Canadian Oxford and not Alanis
Morissette, could describe how owners of marijuana grow-ops are
actually leading the way when it comes to being power smart in B.C.

While discussing the advantages of Smart Meters in reducing power
consumption and identifying illegal grow-ops, a B.C. Hydro
spokeswoman noted that the criminals who grow marijuana are among the
most avid power conservationists out there.

Their methods aren't that sophisticated - grow-op owners are
switching to LED lights, which use less power than traditional
incandescent lights, employ off-grid self-generating power and use
power during off-peak hours.

What can we learn from this?

Ironically, there's an opportunity for regular folk to profit from crime.

It's no criminal conspiracy - reducing power consumption is as easy
as following the ideas B.C. Hydro has been preaching for years.

It's all there in blue and green on the Hydro website.

Reducing power consumption is mostly common sense - turn off the
light when you leave the room, shut down the computer and unplug
items like battery chargers for cellphones and laptops.

Light your grow-op at night or do your laundry in the wee hours of
the morning. It's not what you do, it's how and when you're doing it.

Suggesting law-abiding citizens follow a criminal example is a bit facetious.

But while their motives are anything but altruistic, the average
criminal, sadly, can teach the average law-abiding citizen a thing or two.