Power use rises during Earth Hour in B.C. for first time in decade

VANCOUVER — Despite their best intentions, British Columbians increased their power use during Earth Hour for the first time in a decade.

B.C. Hydro says electricity use across the province rose by 0.2 per cent from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday night, compared with the same hour the week before.

Earth Hour is an annual World Wildlife Fund event that encourages people across the globe to turn off their lights for one hour to draw attention to climate change.

“The increase in electricity use is probably due to declining participation and also colder weather in many parts of the province this weekend as compared to last Saturday,” B.C. Hydro spokeswoman Susie Rieder said.

In a B.C. Hydro report published this month, the Crown corporation said seven in 10 survey respondents said they planned on participating in Earth Hour this year.

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But the Crown corporation says this also marks the fifth year in a trend of declining participation in the province.

The biggest Earth-Hour dip in electricity use in B.C. occurred during the inaugural event in 2008, when power use dropped by two per cent, the report said.

But British Columbians’ Earth Hour contributions haven’t been insignificant, said Rieder. A total 750 Megawatt hours have been saved over the course 11 Earth Hours — enough to power about 68 homes for one year.

Individuals, businesses and organizations turned off their lights in a record 188 countries and territories worldwide Saturday night, the World Wildlife Fund said.

“The record participation in this year’s Earth Hour, from skylines to timelines, is a powerful reminder that people want to connect to the Earth,” WWF International director general Marco Lambertini said in a statement.

B.C. wasn’t the only Canadian jurisdiction to report declines in participation.

Toronto Hydro stopped reporting power-use declines during Earth Hour this year, as those lights-off dips have become less pronounced over the years.

“We don’t report it any more because we’re seeing such effort from Toronto residents on a daily basis, so it’s hard to attribute a load drop to that one hour,” Toronto Hydro spokeswoman Mallory Cunningham said.

“Earth Hour has done a great job getting electricity conservation ingrained in our everyday lives.”

The Canadian Press