Towns and cities in Lithuania are looking for ways to save even more electricity. Some have switched off lamps in parks and squares, others are limiting how long drivers can charge their electric cars.
Klaipėda is starting its second round of savings: after midnight, many cycling lanes will remain dark for five hours. Every second lamp will be switched off in the city’s parks and Smiltynė. By switching on street lighting a little later and switching it off earlier, Klaipėda expects to save of 4,000 euros per month.
“We definitely haven’t yet picked the most drastic scenario […] of plunging the city into darkness from 22:00 to 23:00. However, an intermediate option has been chosen, but I can almost assure you that it is not the final decision,” says Klaipėda Mayor Vytautas Grubliauskas.
Klaipėda’s bill for city lighting and free electric car charging stations will total 2 million euros this year. Under current rates, next year’s bill could be twice as high.
About a fifth of that goes to car charging stations.
“We used to allow charging in parking lots for up to four hours, but from December onwards we plan to have signs saying that charging is only allowed for one hour. [...] We have committed to keeping it free until May 1, but after that we will probably have a discussion,” says Gintaras Neniškis, director of Klaipėda Municipality Administration.
The municipality will also be saving electricity by working remotely on Fridays and Monday.
Kaunas has been trying to cut electricity consumption since 2017, installing energy-saving streetlamps. Cemeteries are dark at night and church facades are not illuminated.
“The lights have been modernised so that we have the option to dim them after 22:00, which is not very noticeable to drivers, but reduces electricity consumption during the night.
“We switch off the lights on footpaths that are sufficiently lit by street lights. As far as I know, we have switched off almost 2,000 lamps,” says Gedeminas Barčauskas, deputy director of Kaunas Municipality Administration.
Meanwhile, Vilnius has been in austerity mode since July, intent on saving one million euros a year.
“The lighting intensity has been reduced by 20 percent, which saves around 80,000 euros per month. [...] In some of our playgrounds, sports grounds or public spaces, the lighting time has been reduced by an hour,” says Vilnius Deputy Mayor Valdas Benkunskas.
Cities are trying to install energy saving streetlights and are also instructing their institutions to save money.
While some residents complain that streets are darker, city authorities say there has not been any uptick in street crime or traffic accidents.
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