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Bowen rocks in Earth Hour challenge

In Metro Vancouver, Bowen Island did the best in this year's Earth Hour challenge, with a 3.5 per cent reduction in energy consumption, followed by West Vancouver at 3.3 per cent. The best results in B.C. came from Revelstoke, which cut power use 12.

In Metro Vancouver, Bowen Island did the best in this year's Earth Hour challenge, with a 3.5 per cent reduction in energy consumption, followed by West Vancouver at 3.3 per cent.

The best results in B.C. came from Revelstoke, which cut power use 12.1 per cent, followed by Pemberton at 6.8 per cent. These rates brought the provincial average to a 1.67 per cent drop.

B.C. Hydro said the province as a whole cut power use 1.67 per cent, saving 121 megawatt hours of electricity the equivalent of turning off 9 million 12.5-watt LED light bulbs.

"If people applied the same simple conservation measures for even one hour every day for the whole year, the combined savings would power close to 4,000 homes for an entire year," said Hydro's acting CEO Charles Reid. "Next year, during Earth Hour, when smart meters are fully deployed, people will be able to track their own results from the day before through a secure on-line portal to help them realize how little measures really do add up to energy savings."

The worst laggards in the region were North Vancouver City at 0.4 per cent and Langley City at 0.5 per cent. BC Hydro aims to meet two thirds of new electricity demands through conservation and energy efficiency by 2020.