This Saturday the community is invited to go dark.
From 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. March 19, the planet is encouraged to observe “Earth Hour,” an opportunity to cut down electrical consumption in homes and businesses.
Earth Hour is an annual global event hosted by the World Wildlife Fund – Canada. People around the globe are encouraged to turn off unnecessary lights and electronics for one hour.
It means lights out for those who choose to participate and started as a one-city initiative in Sydney, Australia in 2007.
Judging from the results of last year, not many in this region jumped on board with the plan.
Whistler was the top light-dimmer with at 7.2-per-cent reduction, while Delta reduced consumption during the hour by 0.8 per cent. Surrey dropped by 0.6 per cent and White Rock saw reductions of 0.5 per cent.
BC Hydro customers can view their individual energy use for Saturday evening by logging onto MyHydro – their online account at bchydro.com/myhydro. They can get an hourly breakdown of their electricity use.
The reductions during Earth Hour last year were as follows:
- Whistler 7.2 per cent
- Invermere 6.7 per cent
- Clearwater 4.0 per cent
- Houston 3.9 per cent
- Logan Lake 3.2 per cent
- Richmond 2.9 per cent
- Sooke 2.3 per cent
- Port Edward 2.3 per cent
- Prince Rupert 2.3 per cent
- Sidney 2.1 per cent
- Hope 2.0 per cent
- North Saanich 2.0 per cent
- Esquimalt 1.9 per cent
- Highlands 1.9 per cent
- Duncan 1.7 per cent
- View Royal 1.7 per cent
- Central Saanich 1.7 per cent
- Saanich 1.6 per cent
- Port Alberni 1.6 per cent
- Metchosin 1.6 per cent
- North Cowichan 1.6 per cent
- Colwood 1.5 per cent
- Langford 1.5 per cent
- Kitimat 1.5 per cent
- Victoria 1.5 per cent
- Coldstream 1.4 per cent
- Oak Bay 1.4 per cent
- Ladysmith 1.3 per cent
- Kamloops 1.2 per cent
- Enderby 1.2 per cent
- Spallumcheen 1.2 per cent
- New Westminster 1.2 per cent
- Sicamous 1.0 per cent
- West Vancouver 1.0 per cent
- Port Moody 1.0 per cent
- Coquitlam 0.9 per cent
- Langley District 0.9 per cent
- Delta 0.8 per cent
- North Vancouver District 0.8 per cent
- North Vancouver City 0.8 per cent
- Bowen Island 0.8 per cent
- Port Coquitlam 0.7 per cent
- Vancouver 0.7 per cent
- Burnaby 0.7 per cent
- 100 Mile House 0.7 per cent
- Surrey 0.6 per cent
- Abbotsford 0.6 per cent
- Anmore 0.5 per cent
- Belcarra 0.5 per cent
- Mission 0.5 per cent
- Powell River 0.5 per cent
- Peachland 0.5 per cent
- Summerland 0.5 per cent
- West Kelowna 0.5 per cent
- White Rock 0.5 per cent
- Sechelt 0.5 per cent
- Chilliwack 0.5 per cent
- Pitt Meadows 0.4 per cent
- Quesnel 0.3 per cent
- Wells 0.3 per cent
- Maple Ridge 0.3 per cent
- Squamish 0.3 per cent
- Comox 0.1 per cent
- Courtenay 0.1 per cent
- Fort Nelson 0.1 per cent
