Electricity consumption went up in BC during Earth Hour

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – So much for powering down.

For the first time in a decade, electricity use in BC actually went up during Earth Hour this year, with a rise by about 0.2 per cent province-wide between yesterday and last Saturday.

A decline in participation over the past five years may suggest why there was an increase in usage, according to BC Hydro. “And colder weather as well in most parts of the province this weekend in comparison to last weekend may have played a role as well,” adds the utility’s Susie Rieder.

Here on the Lower Mainland, power use went up by half a per cent while it went up 0.6 per cent on Vancouver Island. While those numbers might not seem like a big deal, Rieder says they are somewhat significant.

A recent BC Hydro report found that seven out of 10 British Columbians intended to take part in Earth Hour, with 80 per cent of those surveyed saying it was an important event.

“We do see Earth Hour as a symbolic event to raise awareness, to combat climate change, and to remind people to conserve,” Rieder says. “And we do find that British Columbians do try to conserve all-year-round.”

She explains a recent survey showed this was mostly because people are trying to save money. They do so by turning off lights when they leave home, as well as a number of other things.

This is the fifth straight year BC saw the trend of declining participation. More than 180 countries participated in the global event, which is hosted by the World Wildlife Fund.

People are encouraged to power down during Earth Hour, by turning off unnecessary lights, in an effort to fight climate change.

This is Earth Hour’s 11th year.

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