arrival of electricity on the farm changed life forever. This was particularily true for farm women, who had performed many backbreaking household chores by hand. Running water and electric washing machines put an end to "Blue Monday", which required hauling gallons of water, heating it on a wood stove and then scrubbing clothes by hand. Electricity also meant women no longer had to mend clothes by lantern light and iron them using an iron warmed on the wood stove. Refrigerators freed women from having to spend days preparing and canning a year's supply of vegetables from the garden before they spoiled.

rural homemakers wanted advice on how to use the new electrical appliances that were available. To help them, SaskPower created Penny Powers. At summer fairs, Penny Powers showed rural homemakers how to use the new electric and gas appliances and how to adapt their recipes to the new gadgets. In the winter, the focus was on washers and dryers.