Earth Hour is not a competition to see who can turn the most lights off, but if it were, Ottawa would be keeping pace with the rest of the province.
According to the Independent Electricity System Operator, demand in Ontario was reduced by more than six per cent or 920 megawatts as a result of Earth Hour on Saturday night.
Hydro Ottawa is reporting that it recorded a six per cent drop in consumption compared to the same hour on the previous Saturday, which is two per cent lower than the inaugural Earth Hour.
Many of the world’s most famous landmarks were shrouded in darkness between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
In Paris, the Eiffel Tower, usually sparkling with 20,000 lights, went dark.
Floodlights at the Acropolis in Athens and the Great Pyramids in Egypt, were turned off.
In Ottawa, the lights were dimmed on Parliament Hill and at city hall.
Many building downtown were lit sparsely as if everyone was out for the night.
The savings was enough to power about 58 homes for a month, said Dave McKendry, Hydro Ottawa’s director of customer care and conservation.
“There was a lot more build-up and a lot more interest this year. Word is getting out now about Earth Hour,” he said.
“There has been a lot of effort worldwide and as a result the spillover effect has hit Ottawa.”
However, Ottawa still lags considerably behind Toronto, which recorded a 15 per cent drop compared to typical usage and seven per cent below the lowest demand during Earth Hour in 2008.
