Participation in Earth Hour — which runs Saturday evening between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. — is on the decline but BC Hydro said many British Columbians still think the initiative is important.
Chris O'Riley, BC Hydro's president and chief operating officer, said in a press release the annual event, which is organized by the World Wildlife Fund and encourages people turn off unnecessary lights for an hour to combat climate change, is a good way of teaching the public about energy conservation.
"While Earth Hour may have lost some of its momentum in B.C. in recent years, we still see this as a symbolic event," he said. O'Riley added that the initiative is "a way to raise awareness about energy conservation."
But BC Hydro acknowledged that participation is on the decline. Last year, energy consumption during Earth Hour dropped 0.3%, only 15% of the savings achieved when the initiative first launched in Canada in 2008.
Still, BC Hydro said a report, titled "Lights out: Why Earth Hour is dimming in B.C.," found seven out of 10 British Columbians surveyed said they would participate in Earth Hour this year.
"We are encouraging British Columbians to turn off unnecessary lights and electronics from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday in support of Earth Hour," O'Riley said.
He added that BC Hydro customers can view an hourly breakdown of their electricity use for Saturday evening by logging onto their online MYHydro account to see how much they saved.
For more information and conservation ideas, go go powersmart.ca.
10 STEPS TO SAVINGS
BC Hydro offers tips they say could save you up to $455 per year, including:
• Unplug your second fridge and save up to $90 per year.
• Lower the thermostat to 21 C during the day and 16 C at night while sleeping to save up to $72 per year.
• Unplug unused electronics and save $50 per year.
• Hang dry laundry to save about $47 per year.
• Be strategic with window coverings by keeping the warm air in during the winter and the cool air in during the summer to save about $45 per year.
• Skip the dishwasher heat-dry setting and save up to $37 per year.
• Cut one load of laundry per week by only running full loads and save $30 per year.
• Reduce shower time by a minute to save $30 per year.
• Wash laundry in cold water and save up to $27 per year.
• Toss a dry towel in the dryer and save $27 per year.
