VAUGHAN, Ontario, March 24, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Earth Hour 2013 saw thousands of PowerStream customers, in the nine municipalities served by the electric utility, indicate their willingness to help fight climate change by turning off their lights for 60 minutes to reduce electricity consumption.
PowerStream's System Control Centre reported a service territory-wide 5 per cent electricity consumption reduction between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. on Saturday*. This was a decrease from the 7.8 per cent reduction achieved collectively last year by customers in PowerStream's service territory during Earth Hour 2012.
| Municipality | % Reduction* | MW Reduction* |
| Aurora | 7.5 % | 3.8 MW |
| Barrie | 2.9 % | 3.8 MW |
| Bradfor West Gwillimbury | 4.3 % | 1.1 MW |
| Essa (Thornton) | 10.0 % | .1 MW |
| Markham | 5.9 % | 16.4 MW |
| New Tecumseth | 6.9 % | 1.9 MW |
| Penetanguishene | 4.2 % | .5 MW |
| Richmond Hill | 5.7 % | 7.6 MW |
| Vaughan | 4.4 % | 14.9 MW |
| PowerStream Service Territory | 5.0 % | 50.1 MW |
* (in comparison to a typical consumption pattern normally experienced on a similar type of day, taking into consideration hour of the day, time of year and weather).
PowerStream also supported Earth Hour 2013 in several other ways. In addition to powering down the lights at its four work locations in Vaughan, Markham and Barrie, as well as reporting municipal power consumption reduction totals throughout its service territory during Earth Hour. PowerStream further demonstrates its commitment to the environment by sponsoring Earth Hour Vaughan 2013 Lantern Walk and Energy Exhibit.
Earth Hour activities at the Vaughan Civic Centre included displays showcasing PowerStream's energy conservation programs available to customers as well as the company's solar generation and electric vehicle initiatives.
QUOTES
- "Earth Hour is a symbolic event for residents to show their support to help fight climate change and shed light on how we can all make a difference by reducing our electricity consumption," said Frank Scarpitti, PowerStream Board Chair and City of Markham Mayor. "We are pleased with our customers' response as participants in this global event."
BACKGROUND
- In 2008, PowerStream was one of the first companies in Canada to participate in Earth Hour. That year, the company hosted the Ontario Electric Utilities Employee Hockey Tournament and made arrangements to have all games suspended and arena lights turned off during Earth Hour.
ABOUT POWERSTREAM
PowerStream is a community-owned energy services company providing power and related solutions to more than 355,000 customers residing or owning a business in communities located immediately north of Toronto and in Central Ontario. It is jointly owned by the Cities of Barrie, Markham and Vaughan.
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CATEGORIES – Community, Conservation
KEYWORDS – Earth Hour, Environment, Climate Change