JOHANNESBURG, March 26 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's power utility, Eskom said Sunday the country saved 420 MW during the Earth Hour on Saturday night.
This comes after they had encouraged citizens to join the global community by switching off lights, non-essential electrical gadgets and make noise for climate change action on Saturday night between 20:30 to 21:30 p.m.
Eskom then compared the consumption on Saturday during the Earth Hour against typical consumption for this time on an average Saturday evening.
In a statement issued on Sunday Eskom said, "South Africans took action against climate change on Saturday evening when they switched off their lights for Earth Hour from 20:30 to 21:30, saving an average of 420 MW during the hour. This is enough to power a city the size of Polokwane or Port Elizabeth (medium South Africa cities) for an hour."
Eskom said they are using Earth Hour by using its power to showcase the contribution to South Africa's journey in meeting sustainable development goals.
The power utility encouraged South Africans to make energy efficiency and environmental conservation part of their daily lifestyles.
Eskom also encouraged people to reduce their energy consumption every day by using electricity efficiently, switching off all non-essential lights and appliances.
Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia, and it is organized by the World Wide Fund to raise awareness about climate change. Over 162 countries and territories worldwide are part of this initiative.
