The return of extreme cold weather in Saskatchewan led to a new record for natural gas consumption.

SaskEnergy reported an estimated 1.66 petajoules today (Thurs).

The Crown Corporation says this is the 5th time in the past two weeks that daily natural gas consumption in the province has approached or exceeded 1.6 petajoules.

The previous daily usage record was 1.57 petajoules set last February.

SaskEnergy measures daily natural gas consumption for the 24-hour period between 9 a.m. to 9 a.m.

A petajoule is equivalent to one million gigajoules of natural gas.

SaskEnergy encourages residents to conserve energy and save money on their heating bill. Tips include:

• Change the filter in your furnace every month or two to help your furnace run more efficiently.
• Lower the temperature in your house at night and when you’re not at home, and consider installing a programmable thermostat.
• Switch your washing machine to cold-water loads. Up to 90 per cent of the energy used to wash laundry is for heating the water.

For more energy saving and natural gas safety tips, visit SaskEnergy’s website at saskenergy.com.