“As part of its support for the Earth Hour campaign‚ Eskom measured the reduction in electricity used during the hour against typical consumption for this time on an average Saturday evening‚” the electricity parastatal said.

It encouraged consumers to take action beyond Earth Hour and make energy efficiency and environmental conservation part of their daily lifestyles.

“People are encouraged to reduce their energy consumption every day by using electricity efficiently‚ switching off all non-essential lights and household appliances. Commercial customers‚ particularly shopping centres and office blocks‚ can also make a big difference by switching off non-essential lights and not leaving office equipment such as photocopiers and computers in standby mode after hours.”

Earth Hour is an annual global event‚ initiated in Sydney‚ Australia in 2007 to encourage people to switch off lights and unused appliances for an hour as a symbolic demonstration of their commitment to action against climate change. Since its inception‚ Earth Hour has grown with more than 7‚000 cities and towns worldwide participating in the one hour event.