Several cities in Germany are working to reduce the number of hours of street lighting. With that, they want to cut costs, now that energy prices have continued to rise sharply since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to the German Association of Cities and Municipalities, reducing street lighting is one measure that can be taken to save energy.
In the eastern city of Weimar, street lights will come on half an hour later from June 1 and also go out half an hour earlier. In the winter months, the reduction is only 10 minutes long, according to the city. The savings, which can reach 100,000 kWh per year, can reach 40,000 euros at current energy prices.
In the western city of Mainz, policymakers are considering reducing street lighting for pedestrian and bike paths. In some areas, it has already been reduced by 50 percent. The city is also planning to implement smart street lighting, where the lights will only turn on when paths are used by pedestrians or cyclists. Thanks to sensor technology, street lighting in Darmstadt only works when using the tracks.
Hesse’s Department of Economic Affairs recently said that up to half of the city’s budget for electricity costs is spent on street lighting.
By the way, not all cities in Germany think about dimming street lighting. In light of the road safety consequences, some cities want more street lighting.
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