Auckland City is ablaze with light despite the campaign. Photo / Greg Bowker
Auckland City is ablaze with light despite the campaign. Photo / Greg Bowker
KEY POINTS:
Some Auckland businesses seem to be ignoring the electricity industry's request for people to save power, contributing to a potential blackout.
The industry launched a television and radio energy-conservation campaign this month after hydro lake levels were recorded as the lowest they have been since New Zealand's lastpower crisis in 1992.
The Herald took a night-time drive through Auckland City to see what major companies were responding to the call.
At 8.30pm the PricewaterhouseCoopers tower on Quay St still had lights blazing on every floor as well as its logo at the top of the building beaming.
The building's owner could not be contacted for comment, but Mark Thomas, who is the proprietor of popular eatery Prime Bistro on the fourth floor said the various tenants were all "doing their bit".
The Vero Insurance building on Shortland St was another whose logo burned brightly although an employee there said this was only on between 7.30pm and midnight.
"We've still got to keep our lights on so planes don't run in to us but we are obviously mindful of the energy we use," he said.
Numerous retailers on Queen St left their lights on to show off the clothes in their front-window displays.
These included Just Jeans, Portmans, Lippy, Glassons, Wild Pair, Jeans West, Hannahs and Smith & Caughey's.
Lamborghini Auckland and Porsche supplier Giltrap Prestige, both on Great North Rd, used high-powered lights to show off new cars.
The Toyota dealer across the road had left LCD television screens going in its showroom.
Over on the North Shore, just as you're coming off the Harbour Bridge, the bright lights from The Warehouse support office in Northcote hit you. Its logo's red rim surrounds the entire top of the building.
One notable power saver was the Sky Tower, which has turned off its coloured lights.
The 70 floodlights, each of which can boil a cup of water in two minutes, will be off until further notice although the landmark's red aviation lights will continue to flicker.
