Olds households reduced their electricity consumption by about five per cent during Earth Hour on March 29 compared to the same hour the week before.The town saved 569 kilowatts, according to a statement from FortisAlberta. It was enough electricity to power 37,933 15-watt compact fluorescent light bulbs or 632 homes for an hour.During last year's Earth Hour, Olds reduced its electricity consumption by almost nine per cent and in 2012, the reduction was about seven per cent, said Jennifer Yip, FortisAlberta's energy efficiency program specialist.FortisAlberta, which supplies more than 60 per cent of the province's electricity, introduced a $2,500 prize for the community with the highest energy savings per capita during Earth Hour this year.The money would go to energy efficient upgrades.Bruderheim won the challenge by saving 19 per cent compared to the previous week.Eleven communities in Alberta entered the competition. Olds was not one of them.Within FortisAlberta's service area, Olds ranked 28th of almost 50 communities in energy savings.Earth Hour is a global event that encourages people to turn off their lights and electronics as a symbolic gesture supporting climate change awareness and energy conservation.This year, Earth Hour was held from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. local [email protected]
