View Earth Hour power savings map in a full screen map
Many Mission residents didn’t recognize Earth Hour, as the community scored seventh to last out of 68 B.C. communities Saturday night.
The annual Earth Hour asks people to turn off unnecessary lights and other electricity-consuming items between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. on March 24.
Mission’s electricity consumption dipped 1.1 per cent, which is an improvement from last year’s 0.63 per cent drop.
Overall, the province saved 136 megawatt hours of electricity and reduced the provincial electricity load by 1.95 per cent, the equivalent of turning off more than 10 million 12.5-watt LED light bulbs.
Comox and Courtenay on Vancouver Island topped the list, with a reduction of nearly 10 per cent each.
Earth Hour is an annual global event hosted by the World Wildlife Fund and supported by BC Hydro. This year marks the sixth year of BC Hydro’s support of the event. The goal of Earth Hour is to encourage individuals to turn off unnecessary lights and electronics in an effort to conserve power and in doing so, demonstrate support for climate change reduction efforts.
Fast facts:
• The top five B.C. communities for this year’s Earth Hour were: Comox, Courtenay, North Saanich, Sidney and Qualicum.
• In 2012, British Columbians saved 121 megawatt hours of electricity and reduced the provincial electricity load by 1.67 per cent during Earth Hour – the equivalent of turning off about nine million 12.5-watt LED light bulbs.
• The total provincial energy savings from Earth Hour participation since 2008 is 500.27 megawatt hours of electricity – the equivalent of turning off 40 million 12.5-watt LED light bulbs.
• The province-wide energy savings reported since BC Hydro began supporting Earth Hour are as follows: 121 megawatt hours in 2012; 117 megawatt hours in 2011; 64.6 megawatt hours in 2010; 72.67 megawatt hours in 2009; and 125 megawatt hours in 2008.
• BC Hydro provides tools, resources and incentives to help people conserve year-round. Visit www.bchydro.com/powersmart for more tips on how to be smart with your power.
• For more information on Earth Hour, please visit www.bchydro.com/earthhour and www.wwf.ca.
