Earth Hour March 26th 8:30 PM

Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney at the initiative of WWF in Australia as a way to draw attention to the country's decision-makers on the climate issue. This first Earth Hour resulted in over 2 million Sydney residents and 2000 businesses turning off their lights. The news spread around the world and now we are soon turning off for the fifteenth time.

In 2020, 190 countries and 211 Swedish municipalities out of a total of 290 (73%) participated and a record number of municipalities (62) ran Earth Hour for several days. In 2021, almost a billion people from 186 countries participated in the manifestation for our only planet.

Earth Hour is so much more than just turning off the lights for an hour. It should serve as inspiration for more green and planet-friendly habits.

Join us and turn off the lights on March 26th at 8:30-9:30 PM!

There are those who go further than just turning off lights during the hour in homes. Many stores, offices and public buildings also ensure that nighttime lighting in these various premises is turned off.

More than just turning off the lights

Some people choose to turn off all electricity in their homes to really manifest Earth Hour. This means that all electrical and electronic equipment is turned off, as well as anything that requires standby power, so that the electricity meter does not spin any longer during the hour.

So what about the contents of the freezer and fridge? No problem – a power outage for an hour is no problem at all – provided the fridge and freezer doors are not open wide.

The freezer can withstand power outages

Modern freezers maintain a freezer temperature down to -8C for between 9 and 14 hours (depending on the model) during a power outage (with the door closed). So an hour outage around Earth Hour is no problem at all! But APPLiAnytt's tip is to still let the fridge and freezer continue to work – also during Earth Hour. Since modern freezers are so well insulated, turning them off for an hour is not a major power saving. It is better to refrain from opening the door ajar for ice cream or ice cubes for your Saturday drink during Earth Hour. Then there will be no late-night snack on Saturday, but you will be making an effort for the environment!

If the power outage is prolonged

In the event of a prolonged involuntary power outage, it is important to avoid opening the freezer unnecessarily. The less the door is opened, the longer the cold will stay in the freezer. If you have frozen food, it will last for 1-2 days if you do not open the freezer (a well-stocked freezer will last longer). If the food is then half-thawed, it works well to re-freeze it without any other measures. It is not necessary from a safety point of view to cook it.

If the goods have been exposed to temperatures higher than 8 degrees for longer than an hour and smell and taste bad, the Swedish National Food Agency recommends that they be thrown away. This applies especially to sensitive foods such as meat, fish and chicken.

Convenient with backup battery

If the power goes out, we all know the inconvenience of all the displays on electronic equipment and appliances starting to flash when the power supply has been interrupted. Resetting all these displays on ovens, microwaves, stoves, refrigerators, etc. is a pain every time it happens. It's a good thing that many new appliances contain a built-in backup battery that keeps the display alive even when the power from the electrical network fails. This saves you from having to reset all the clocks in all the displays after the power has been turned off during Earth Hour.

Now don't forget:

Turn off the lights on March 26th at 8:30-9:30 PM, too! And don't leave a peephole on the freezer door...

Kent Oderud, Chairman of APPLiA

APPLiAnytt