We are not teaching you anything: we must consume better. The energy crisis triggered by the war in Ukraine affects everyone. Today, French electricity production is more limited than in normal times. At the end of the year, we are all called to make efforts, energetically speaking. Orange wants to turn off our Livebox, we wonder if we should turn off the heating when we are away and power cuts are hovering over our heads…
The situation is alarming and in this sense, the government has taken exceptional measures. Since October 7, 2022, signs and other windows must be turned off from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. in order to reduce the electricity consumption of the French. For their part, cities have been asked to turn off streetlights and other light sources. The good news is that it worked. French cities have reduced their electricity consumption by 20%.
A historic drop for French cities
For French municipalities, public lighting is major since it represents more than 40% of their electricity consumption. Enedis recalls that this constitutes 11 million “light points” throughout France and a power demand of 1300 megawatts. To get an idea, it’s as much as a nuclear reactor. It was therefore necessary to act.
Thus, French cities have assumed their responsibilities. During the first half of December, they reduced their electricity consumption by an average of 20% in “night heart”namely between midnight and 4 a.m., compared to the same period in 2021. There is talk of a historic drop according to Enedis.
However, one would have thought that it would be more complicated to reduce the consumption of public lighting during this period. Indeed, the month of December rhymes with the end of year celebrations and, therefore, Christmas light decorations are on the program. Fortunately, the municipalities of France have made the necessary efforts to reduce their consumption.
Enedis is no stranger to this collective effort. Indeed, he developed a solution called “My public eco-lighting” and the latter has strongly contributed to this historic drop in the consumption of public lighting.
Between this historic decline in French cities and the efforts of consumers, RTE (Réseau de Transport et d’Électricité) has announced good news: the risk of power cuts is falling for the month of January. We went from a “high” risk to a “medium” risk. It’s always taken. Despite everything, all this is subject to effective maintenance of the energy efforts of each.
