German towns dim street lights as electricity prices soar

Some towns and cities in Germany are reducing the times that street lights are lit in order to save electricity costs which are continuing to soar, reported dpa.

Energy prices have been rising since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February.

Scaling back street lighting is one idea among a series of possible measures that towns are currently considering, according to Alexander Handschuh of the German Association of Towns and Municipalities.

However, many cities and towns have no other option than to further reduce street lighting, a dpa poll has found.

Street lights are to be turned on half an hour later and switched off half an hour earlier in the eastern city of Weimar as of June 1 in a measure initially in place during the summer. The original lighting time is only to be reduced by 10 minutes during the winter months, the city said. The cuts, saving up to 100,000 kilowatt hours per year, could save up to €40,000 ($416,000) at current energy price.

Meanwhile officials in the western city of Mainz are looking to further reduce street lighting of footpaths and cycle paths, after it was scaled back by 50% in some areas.

The city is also planning to introduce street lighting on demand, when paths are in use by walkers or cyclists.

Street lighting in the city of Darmstadt dims and brightens when paths are in use thanks to sensor technology.

Up to half of a city's budget for electricity costs are spent on street lighting, the Economics Ministry of the state of Hesse said recently.

However, eastern cities Leipzig and Dresden were reluctant to scale back the hours that street lights are switched on, fearful of the consequences for road safety.

Meanwhile requests from the public tend to focus on extending lighting hours, rather than reducing them, according to a spokesperson from Oldenburg.