The province’s electricity load dropped by 1.04 per cent during Earth Hour, BC Hydro reported Sunday — a drop that was slightly less than the previous year's.

From 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, British Columbians saved 64.6 megawatt hours of electricity — the equivalent of turning off about 1.4 million lights.

If British Columbians were to implement the same conservation measures for one hour every evening, the provincial utility reported, the combined savings would be enough to power nearly 2,200 homes for an entire year.

Burns Lake in B.C.'s central interior led all cities with a reduction of seven per cent. Vancouver and Victoria tied with a 1.4 per cent drop.

In 2009, there was a 1.1 per cent reduction in the province's overall electricity load during Earth Hour. In 2008, the drop was measured at two per cent.

Despite the disappointing figures, BC Hydro spokesman Simi Heer found a silver lining in the event.

"Anytime we can get people talking about conservation — friends having that conversation, parents having that conservation with their children — you know we're very pleased with that. You know, we're trying to build a conservation culture in B.C. where conservation comes naturally and events like Earth Hour help educate people of the simple things they can do on a daily basis."

In Vancouver, the lights went out at landmarks such as the sails atop Canada Place. Several restaurants in the city held candlelight dinners.

Carl Morisset, a tourist from Montreal who was enjoying a candlelight dinner at a Vancouver hotel, called it a small gesture, but said he hoped it would show Prime Minister Stephen Harper that Canadians do care about the environment.

Earth Hour, an annual global event hosted by the World Wildlife Fund and sponsored provincially by BC Hydro, encourages individuals to show their support for the fight against climate change. More than 80 communities in B.C. signed up to participate in this year's event.