When the lights go out on Saturday at 20:30, don’t panic – it’s Earth Hour.

City Power on Saturday said it would, alongside the City of Johannesburg, join the rest of the country and the world for an hour by switching off lights and non-essential equipment to “highlight the urgency of climate change”.

City Power CEO Lerato Setshedi in a statement urged residents to use the annual event for awareness to always preserve electricity usage.

“Tonight it’s not just about switching off for an hour. As the theme says, it’s a call for all of us to change the way we live, the way we consume energy, to get into a saving mode. By saving electricity as a consumer you help in saving carbon emissions which cause climate change,” Setshedi said.

“We urge residents to make #EarthHour a habit by ensuring that they always unplug all unused and non-essential appliances on a daily basis to save electricity.”

City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena reiterated that Saturday’s initiative is not loadshedding, explaining that it was not embarking on a total switch off of the network, but only non-essential items and lights at most municipal buildings.

“We urge residents to also switch off for an hour as part of the global efforts to save the Earth.”