Paris public buildings to turn lights off at night, reduce heating to save energy

PARIS

The Paris mayor on Tuesday unveiled an energy sobriety plan to fight the current energy crisis by switching off the lights of public buildings and lowering heating in winter with an aim to make 10% energy savings.

Detailing the plan, Anne Hidalgo said the energy crisis was hitting Paris like the rest of the country and the city will undertake additional measures to conserve energy.

From Sept. 23, the city’s municipal authorities will turn off the lighting of the Town Hall, the Saint-Jacques tower, civic museums, and the district town halls from 10 p.m. The most famous Parisian monument of Eiffel Tower will also go dark at 11.45 p.m. For public safety, the street lights will remain on in the evening.

Heating in all public buildings – except elderly care homes, hospitals, children’s nurseries, and other vulnerable people – will also be reduced to maintain 18 degrees Celsius (64.4 degrees Fahrenheit), which can result in 7%to 8% savings on the bill. In general, turning on the heaters will be postponed by a month after the All Saints holidays instead of October.

Hidalgo said the city has invested more than €10 billion ($10 billion) in ecological transition since 2014 and in the coming months, this initiative will receive a further boost. The civic authorities have carried out thermal renovations in nearly 60,000 social housing units, on average saving up to €400 annually per household. A new Paris renovation program will offer thermal renovation to both public and private buildings.

She added the energy sobriety plan will also engage private stakeholders who are responsible for 96% of energy consumption.