Furry friends could be costing you hundreds more on your hydro bill

Some B.C. residents are spending upwards of an extra $400 per year on their hydro bills if they're pet owners, according to a new study commissioned by BCHydro.

The study says while a majority of British Columbianschoose to turn off unused lights and electronics when they leave home, many pet owners were not willing to turn off appliancesif it would compromise their pet's comfort.

"We found[for] about 52 per cent of those who have a cat or dog, the comfort of their animal is more important than saving electricity," said BCHydro spokesperson Tanya Fish.

The survey shows some of the most common items left on for pets includeheat in the winter andair conditioning in the summer, as well as lights, the radio, televisionor a fan throughout the year.

Is it just human guilt?

Canine specialist Annika McDade said keeping electronics running might be unnecessary.She said what a dog wants may not necessarily correlate to what their human owner thinks they want.

"Leaving the TV on, radio on, or lights on because you feel guilty that they're home alone all day doesn't necessarily make them behave any differently, or have any different emotional reaction to being left alone at home," said McDade.

For the most part, she said, your petwill likely have no idea you warmed up the house because they're generally warmer than you, and it's unlikely they need that white noise from your TV or radio.

However, she said there are exceptions some pets thatsuffer from anxiety might appreciate the sound of a TV or radio, or alightto help keep them calm when they'realone.

Ways to reduce energy consumption

Fish saidBCHydro is not asking anyone to disregard their pets'comfort.

Butshe addedthat there are ways to reduce energy consumption, like turning down your thermostat a few degrees.

"Just by two degrees, you can actually reduce your heating costs by about fiveper cent," said Fish.

Another suggestion?Consider getting a smartphone connection to your electronics and lighting, so you can control it from your phone when you'reout of the house.

The survey of 800 British Columbians was conductedonlinebetween Sept. 20 and 26.