Eiffel Tower's lights to be turned off early. Here's why

Paris's mayor has announced that the French government had decided to switch off the Eiffel Tower's lights one hour before the usual time, decrease the water temperature in municipal pools and slow down the heating of public buildings this winter to save more energy.

Europe prepares to save energy.

After Russia declared that it would sell energy to Europe at exorbitant prices, all European countries are now looking for ways to save energy, reduce it as much as possible, and fill their gas stations to avoid a possible energy cut-off.

France is not as dependent on Russian gas as its neighbor, but due to a record number of nuclear reactor outages, France is forced to import electricity. However, the situation should have been the opposite, with France exporting power and heightening pressure on power markets.


Anne Hidalgo, the city’s mayor, said Paris will always be the City of Light. The Eiffel Tower is lit up at 1 am through a lightning system that adds a golden glow. Every hour while it lights up, at the top, the tower twinkles due to the twenty-thousand flashing bulbs. Thus, switching off the Eiffel Tower’s lights at 11:45 PM would mean decreasing the power reduction by four per cent.



According to speculation, this year, Paris’ energy bill could go up to 90 million euros. This is a 35 million more than the usual bill, despite long-term electricity and gas contracts protecting authorities from the worst of the cost increases.

FAQs

Why has Paris decided to save energy?
All these steps are taken to meet the suggestions Emmanuel Macron, France’s President, provided. Earlier, the President had suggested that all households, industry, and municipal authorities reduce their energy consumption by at least 10 per cent. This was done in response to Russia’s decision to cut gas supplies and escalating energy prices.

When will Paris start taking all the decided steps?
Per Paris’ mayor, from September 23, Paris would switch off all the lights in public buildings at 10 PM. From 26° C, the temperature of the pools would be decreased to 25° C. In public buildings, the heating would be decreased to 18°C.