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Eiffel Tower to switch lights off early to set example for energy conservation
France’s landmark Eiffel Tower will switch off its bright golden lights every night more than an hour earlier as Europe faces spiralling energy costs aggravated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, local media reported Monday (Sep 12).
Paris city hall is expected to propose this week that the monument, which is among the most visited in the world, should go dark more than an hour earlier than usual.
The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, is scheduled to present her “energy sobriety” plan Tuesday (Sep 13) to reduce power consumption. Among the measures to cut down energy use is shutting the lights of the Eiffel Tower, BFMTV news reported.
The city hall is expected to propose that the tower fall dark at 11.45pm when the final visitors leave, meaning it will no longer twinkle at midnight. The lights come up every evening post-sunset and last until 1 a.m.
The 330-meter (1,083-foot) tower is illuminated with golden lights which sparkle for five minutes every hour.
It takes 20,000 light bulbs each with a low power of 6 watts to illuminate the country’s most iconic monument. The night lighting consumes 6.7 gigawatt hours of electricity annually.
France, Germany to help each other through energy crisis
The government has appealed to individuals, households and businesses to consume less energy as the country faces a shortage of electricity, gas and fuel caused by Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Several towns and cities are addressing the problem by switching off lights on public buildings and streets when not in use.
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