62.69 MW saved during Earth Hour 2023, says DOE

The Philippines saved a total of 62.69 megawatts (MW) during the Earth Hour 2023 held on Saturday, the Department of Energy (DOE) said Monday.

In a statement, DOE said that the largest electricity savings during the one-hour switch-off were recorded in Luzon with 33.29 MW.

It was followed by Mindanao with 20.5 MW and Visayas with 8.9 MW.

In the initiative, Filipinos were encouraged to turn their non-essential lights off between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. in a bid to mitigate the effects of climate change.

DOE said that the electricity demand reduction for this period was “a testament that collectively, we could generate a great impact on our daily energy consumption.”

Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla, meanwhile, called on the public to consistently practice energy conservation measures by switching off non-essential lights and choosing more energy efficient appliances, equipment, and machines.

“These are simple yet valuable actions that we can do easily not only for our planet but more especially during periods of high demand such as this summer season,” he said. —Giselle Ombay/KBK, GMA Integrated News