Residents will have to wait a few more days to find out if hockey’s Battle of Alberta played spoilers to the first worldwide Earth Hour event.
Saturday night saw millions around the world switch off non-essential lights at 8 p.m. for an hour to raise awareness about climate change.
But in Alberta, thousands watched the Flames and Oilers battle for a playoff spot in a key game that began at the same time.
Epcor spokesman Mike Gibbs said yesterday that they are still compiling data and hope to release power consumption figures by mid-week. Energy usage will be compared to previous Saturday nights, Gibbs said.
Calgary’s power company, Enmax, has already reported that energy consumption actually jumped during Earth Hour in Calgary and was also higher than the previous Saturday night during the same time.
Gibbs wouldn’t speculate on what kind of impact a hockey game between the two cities would have on energy usage.
The international event, launched in Australia last year, saw major landmarks around the world switched off.
In Edmonton, City Hall’s glass pyramid was turned off while Calgary’s famous tower became shrouded in darkness.
Both cities endorsed the event as a green initiative to remind people about energy conservation.
