Lights out
Bright Christmas needs a lot of electricity
If the little lights stay dark around Christmas, they save a little electricity. But is it worth it in the end? Do we provide power supply with this? Experts refuse.
1/6
Manuel Grieder, a lecturer at ZHAW and professor at Fernuni, sees at most the symbolic value in turning off the Christmas lights.
Michelle’s houseReporter
Could De-Powered Christmas Lights Save Us From Blackouts? Energy expert Mark Iten (42) sees only a small benefit to the power supply in waiver. “This, in my view, is a symbolic policy,” he says. “If we compare the annual hours of Christmas lighting with, say, shop-window lighting, it doesn’t make sense to do without it. We don’t save enough electricity that way. The vast majority of lights are LED and are therefore energy efficient.” a lot of energy.”
Switzerland Debates: Are Christmas lights banned this year?(02:43)
Experts from the Zurich Cantonal Electric Company (EKZ), one of Switzerland’s most important energy suppliers, sounded the same. The electricity consumption of public Christmas lights is so small that the amount of electricity is not even known. “In the canton of Zurich, public Christmas decorations are glued to street lighting,” says spokesman Christian Schwarz. “Many municipalities have already switched to LED, which is why the consumption of approximately 70,000 light points for street lighting is hardly significant at 0.4 per cent of Total consumption. General lighting for Christmas is very low by comparison.”
symbolic effect
Behavioral researcher and lecturer Manuel Greider (42) at ZHAW and Professor Fernuni Schweiz only sees a point in pulling the plug under certain circumstances. “If there are no Christmas lights,” he says, “it might motivate the population to help save energy. People see that people are saving, so it is likely to motivate them to save as well. Christmas lights are very visible and visually dominant, so an effect can come from them.” .But it will mainly have a symbolic effect.”
Retrofitting is better than stopping
The behavioral economist sees measures that save electricity without sacrificing holiday lighting as an opportunity. “If a city takes the power shortage as an opportunity to replace traditional lighting with LEDs and connects it well, it will be a good role model. Such action as city marketing is also highly recommended.”
“Tv specialist. Friendly web geek. Food scholar. Extreme coffee junkie.”
More Stories
Hovering at 600 km/h: Japan's new bullet train delayed
Biography of former British Prime Minister Liz Truss: Without shame or guilt – News
With a simple trick: A father saves his family from a shark attack during the holidays