Faced with rising energy costs, French municipalities of all sizes have decided to save energy to reduce their bills. A bill that can be multiplied by two. In addition, the French government has set itself the target of reducing France's energy consumption by 10% by 2024.
Reducing public lighting, the temperature of buildings, closing swimming pools... While the government has set a target of a 10% reduction in energy consumption in France by 2024, French municipalities, whether rural or large, are adopting measures to reduce their bills. They are hunting down energy waste in terms of lighting and heating.
Limit street lighting
One of the most striking measures comes from the city of Lille, which stopped lighting public buildings at night at the beginning of September. This measure makes an exception for the Grand'Place and the Place de l'Opéra, two emblematic places in the northern French city. According to the municipality, this measure will save 170,000 kWh per year.
Paris has decided to take somewhat similar measures. Paris City Hall, the Saint-Jacques Tower, municipal museums and the arrondissement town halls will no longer be lit at 10pm from 23 September. The Hôtel de Ville was previously lit until 1am. The Eiffel Tower will be switched off earlier. It will be switched off at 11.45pm.
The big cities are not the only ones to turn off the lights. In New Aquitaine, Libourne, Saint-Sever and the Vienne Energy Syndicate, which manages the public energy service in 220 rural communes in the department, have decided to cut public lighting at night. Rationing measures are mostly accompanied by the replacement of light bulbs with LEDs, which consume much less energy. In addition, these measures are beneficial to the environment because, of course, they limit energy consumption, but they also reduce light pollution around cities, which disrupts biodiversity.
Lower temperatures in buildings
The government recently reminded us that it is recommended to limit the temperature in a room to 19°C. Lowering the temperature by 1°C represents a 7% energy saving according to the French Agency for Ecological Transition. This is a significant impact, given that heating accounts for 66% of a home's energy consumption.
Once again, it was Lille that made its mark by announcing a 2°C drop in temperature (from 20°C to 18°C) in two museums, two hours less heating in sports halls, but also the elimination of auxiliary heaters in the city's offices. The city of Bordeaux will set the thermostat at 19°C in cultural and educational establishments and will even heat only to 12°C in large gymnasiums.
Closing swimming pools or lowering the water temperature
Among the most energy-intensive municipal facilities are swimming pools, which are often heated with gas. They represent a major expense for municipalities that have already planned to lower the water temperature. Especially since 60% of swimming pools are over 30 years old. Ice rinks are in the same situation as swimming pools.
Toulon City Council has thus planned to reduce the water temperature from 28°C to 26°C, "except for pools that cater for nursery schools and babies". The city is also considering closing these energy-hungry establishments on a "one-off" basis.
Translated by askip England