Newcomers to Saskatchewan are often surprised by their first winter. A little shock at the cold and snow is to be expected, but Saskatchewan Polytechnic alumna Anamika Gupta says being shocked by a power bill simply shouldn’t happen.
Gupta graduated from Prince Albert campus last year with a Business Management post-graduate certificate and continues to pursue her learning through applied research. She has been named one of five successful applicants for a significant, $30,000 Wawanesa Climate Champion Youth Innovation Grant through Canadian Colleges for a Resilient Recovery (C2R2) and Wawanesa Insurance. The award gives her the opportunity to pursue an idea she had while adjusting to life in Canada as an international student.
“My husband and I were renting an apartment when we arrived here and our average Sask Power bill was $60 – $65 per month,” says Gupta. “Suddenly one month, our bill rose to $150.”
The Guptas, who hail from India, were unfamiliar with Canadian utilities and had never paid for heating. Understanding temperature fluctuations, and how they and other common power demands affect the bottom line, was a learning curve.
Gupta started tracking her own usage and did some reading about smart energy consumption. She quickly learned that unplugging electric items that aren’t being used and choosing to be more strategic about daily power usage helped bring down their energy bill. “It’s not something most people think about day to day,” she says, “but little things such as lighting a gas stove multiple times adds up. Keeping appliances plugged in all the time, too, that adds up.”
During her exploration into power saving, Gupta learned that more than 50 per cent of households in the United Kingdom have adopted smart metering that shows how much energy has been used and how much money it will cost. “The government’s introduction of this model, which uses an in-home display at no cost to the consumer, reduced people’s consumption,” says Gupta. “I want to help something similar become a reality in Saskatchewan.”
If her idea comes to fruition, Gupta may positively change a common frustration felt by newcomer and Saskatchewanian utility customers alike.
Armed with her background reading and the beginnings of an innovative idea, Gupta approached Dr. Terry Peckham, director for Sask Polytech’s Digital Innovation Centre of Excellence. He helped advise her on her award application and has agreed to oversee the project.
Her proposed project, Prairie EcoWatt: Energy Champions of Saskatchewan, will encourage healthy competition between people as they track and reduce their energy consumption through an app. Gupta has the next year to complete her project.
“I never thought I’d work on something IT-related,” Gupta says, “but my husband, who works in IT, encouraged me. He says having a solid idea is what’s important and that technical details can be solved. That’s where DICE comes in.
“My goal is to collaborate with a local utility provider to collect and share anonymous data related to consumer electricity consumption. I envision a gamification element that encourages residents to save electricity and compete within neighbourhoods.” Real-time data, Gupta says, could support key aspects of the project.
DICE, Saskatchewan’s only technical access centre, specializes in connecting business and industry partners with researchers to help solve complex data challenges. “This project really started with Anamika,” says Peckham. “I will be supporting her work through DICE, but the credit goes to her for coming up with an idea and pursuing the Climate Champions award to make it possible.”
The Wawanesa Climate Champions: Youth Innovation Grants were launched for the first time last year. Has Malik, provost and vice-president, Academic, at Sask Polytech and also C2R2 co-chair, says the five projects chosen for the award represent the creativity and commitment of youth striving for meaningful environmental impact.
“The level of innovation and dedication from young leaders across Canada is truly inspiring,” says Malik. “By investing in these projects, we are not only supporting youth-led ideas but also empowering the next generation to take an active role in shaping a more sustainable future. Congratulations to Anamika for this important award. We are so pleased that your innovative idea was chosen and are grateful to C2R2 and Wawanesa for their significant contribution towards making your applied research project a reality.”
Gupta is passionate—both about reducing power bills and the environmental impact her project may have. “Eighty per cent of electricity here in Saskatchewan is from fossil fuel,” she says. “Our power resources are precious. We all have a role to play in reducing consumption.”
Gupta’s role may help the rest of us to play our part. “I am praying for this to become reality and will be working hard to make it happen,” she says.
For more information about applied research at Sask Polytech, visit saskpolytech.ca/research.
Saskatchewan Polytechnic is signatory to the SDG Accord. Sustainable Development Goal alignment is one of the ways Sask Polytech is leading the rise of polytechnic education.
