Toronto's electricity use dropped by 2.8% during Earth Hour

Toronto Hydro reports a 2.8% drop in electricity demand during Earth Hour. (CNW Group/Toronto Hydro Corporation)

Result is lower than last year's event, which saw a dip of 3.2%

TORONTO, March 25, 2017 /CNW/ - Toronto Hydro customers marked the 10^th anniversary of Earth Hour by switching off to help the environment. The city's electricity use dipped by 77 megawatts (MW) or 2.8%.

That's the equivalent to removing approximately 31,000 homes off of Toronto Hydro's grid.

Toronto Hydro would like to thank its customers for participating in Earth Hour and for practising smart electricity use habits throughout the year.

For year-round energy saving tips, visit torontohydro.com/conservation.

QUICK FACTS

• In 2016, electricity usage in Toronto during Earth Hour dropped by 3.2%
• The most successful Earth Hour Toronto campaign took place in 2009 when the city achieved a 15.1% load drop
• From 2006 to 2015, there have been 1,756 gigawatt hours (GWh) in total energy savings in the city of Toronto, the equivalent of taking 600 large condos off the grid
• From 2006 to 2015, conservation efforts have helped the city of Toronto avoid 1.1 million tonnes in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which is the equivalent of taking 34,000 cars off the road

QUOTES
"We're happy with the results of this year's Earth Hour and want to thank everyone that took part. But we also want to recognize everyone out there that makes an effort to reduce their electricity use each and every day of the year."
- Tori Gass, Media Relations Specialist, Toronto Hydro

ABOUT EARTH HOUR

Earth Hour is a global environmental initiative in partnership with World Wildlife Fund (WWF), which asks individuals, businesses, governments and communities to turn off their lights to show their support for environmentally sustainable action.

Earth Hour began in 2007 in Sydney, Australia and is now celebrated in more than 172 countries and territories across the world.

ABOUT TORONTO HYDRO

Toronto Hydro owns and operates the electricity distribution system for Canada's largest city. A leader in conservation and demand management, it has 761,000 customers located in the city of Toronto and distributes approximately 19% of the electricity consumed in Ontario.

Twitter - twitter.com/torontohydro 
Facebook - facebook.com/torontohydro
YouTube - youtube.com/torontohydro
Flickr - flickr.com/torontohydro
LinkedIn - Linkedin.com/company/toronto-hydro

SOURCE Toronto Hydro Corporation

Tori Gass, Communications and Public Relations, 416-903-4037, [email protected]; 24-hour media line: 416-903-6845, [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.torontohydro.com