Province used 0.2 per cent more power during the event

Despite most British Columbian’s best intentions leading up to Earth Hour, BC Hydro says that electricity usage either increased or plateaued during 2018’s event.

Earth Hour – an annual worldwide event to turn lights off for an hour in support of conservation and climate change – ran from 8:30-9:30 p.m. on Saturday.

The province saw a 0.2 per cent increase in electricity use during Earth Hour despite a March report showing that seven out of 10 British Columbians intended to power off for Earth Hour.

While this is the first year that B.C. saw an uptick in electricity usage during the event, the number of people participating has been declining for years.

Ten years ago, the province saved two per cent of its electricity during Earth Hour while last year it saved only 0.3 per cent.

The Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island were the worst offenders in 2018 with energy use up by 0.5 and 0.6 per cent during Earth House, respectively, while the southern and northern Interior plateaued at zero per cent.