CHICAGO, March 29 /PRNewswire/ -- As ComEd customers turned off the lights during Earth Hour at their homes, businesses, and numerous Chicago landmarks, including Navy Pier, the Sears Tower, the John Hancock building and the theater district, ComEd saw the demand for electricity drop by 5 percent both in the City of Chicago and throughout its Northern Illinois service territory, according to preliminary figures released tonight by the utility.
The utility compared its customers' electricity usage during the 8-9 p.m. hour tonight to the same hour last Saturday, March 22. ComEd did not experience any adverse impact during the dip in demand.
The reduction in electricity usage in the City of Chicago and Northern Illinois during Earth Hour is estimated to be about 537 megawatt hours, the equivalent of reducing nearly 840,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, or about 104 acres of trees planted.
"I salute our customers, the City of Chicago, and the other sponsors of Earth Hour Chicago, for their active participation," said Frank M. Clark, ComEd chairman and chief executive officer. "It demonstrates that together we can make a difference and benefit the environment. This symbolic initiative will educate people worldwide about the need for energy conservation."
ComEd, a major partner for World Wildlife Fund's Earth Hour Chicago, encouraged its customers to participate in this historic event to raise customer awareness about energy efficiency and global climate change. Chicago is a flagship city for Earth Hour in the U.S. and one of several major cities in the world participating this year.
Climate change occurs as a result of carbon dioxide emissions from everyday activities like using energy and driving a car.
Encouraging customers to turn off lights during Earth Hour was one of ComEd's 12 Ways to Green, launched earlier this year to raise customer awareness about energy efficiency and other environmental initiatives. It also is part of a comprehensive environmental strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lower the carbon footprint of Exelon, its subsidiaries and customers. Customers can find more ways to reduce energy use, save money and benefit the environment throughout the year by visiting http://www.comedcare.com/.
Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation , one of the nation's largest electric utilities with approximately 5.4 million customers. ComEd provides service to approximately 3.8 million customers across Northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state's population.
