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Calgarians once again celebrated Earth Hour with indifference.

The annual global event encourages citizens around the world to turn off their lights and power down their electronics for one hour in the evening on the final Saturday in March in an effort to raise awareness about climate change.

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But that’s not what many Calgarians did.

An Enmax spokeswoman reported there was an “imperceptible change” in power use in Calgary on Saturday between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., when Earth Hour was observed.

“If anything, the usage went up slightly from the previous hour, but you can attribute that to the fact the lights start turning on for people because it gets dark out around 8:30 p.m.,” said Enmax spokeswoman Doris Kaufmann Woodcock.

Kaufmann Woodcock said this year’s increase in power consumption during Earth Hour was incredibly small and ultimately classified Calgary’s power consumption during earth hour as an “imperceptible change.”

Launched in Sydney, Australia in 2007, Earth Hour has spread around the globe.

Calgary has been notorious for observing the event with indifference.

Last year, electricity use in the city dropped a minimal 0.05 per cent during the hour.

In 2013, there was no identifiable change in power usage and in the years prior Calgary’s energy demand barely budged during Earth Hour.

And in 2008, energy consumption in Calgary famously spiked by 3.6 per cent during earth hour.

aklingbeil@calgaryherald.com

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