The local results are out for this year’s Earth Hour.
Hydro One is reporting a 3 per cent drop in electricity in the Owen Sound area between 8:30 PM and 9:30 PM on Saturday.
Owen Sound’s Environmental Superintendent Chris Hughes says that’s less than the 6.6 per cent reduction noted last year.
It’s also less than the 4 to 5 per cent reduction seen in 2008.
The provincial numbers were also weaker this year.
Overall, Ontario saw a 4 per cent reduction in energy use during Earth Hour, when last year the number reached 6 per cent and in 2008 it was 5 per cent.
But officials believe the weaker numbers could reflect the weather because the temperatures were much cooler this year than during Earth Hour last year.
However, Hughes says the actual energy saved during Earth Hour isn’t as important as drawing awareness to climate change and energy conservation.
He hopes that as time goes on there will be less of an impact noted during Earth Hour because people are making an effort to conserve energy every single day.