South Africans switched off their lights for Earth Hour, saving 575 MW of electricity – enough electricity to power Polokwane.

Lights went out from 20:30 to 21:30 on Saturday for the Earth Hour initiative. Eskom also switched off non-essential lighting at all its offices around the country, except at strategic facilities for security reasons.

Eskom measured the reduction in electricity used during the hour against typical consumption for this time on an average Saturday evening.

“Earth Hour affords all electricity users an opportunity to realise that it is in our power to  save electricity and switch to more sustainable ways of living and doing business. Individual actions have a collective impact; together, as a nation, we can leave a legacy of a healthy South Africa and a healthy planet,” said Andrew Etzinger, Eskom’s Senior General Manager for Integrated Demand Management.

According to Eskom, turning off the lights helps to save the planet by preventing hundreds of tons of coal from being burned, which released greenhouse gases. “It is an act of global commitment to protecting planet earth beyond this symbolic hour,” the power utility said in a statement.