Since 1is October, the urban area of Rion-des-Landes once again benefits from very popular night lighting (one street lamp in two). This Saturday, October 5, in the morning, Mayor Laurent Civel took stock.
For what reasons is this renewal?
This is a matter of public safety. Of course, it has a cost but, for me, it is priceless! We remember that everything had been cut off since 2022 in order to cope with the increase in the cost of electricity, which multiplied bills tenfold in a few months. The municipality had chosen to leave only the town center lit at night and it was the right solution. The rest of the city then looked like a cutthroat, to which the pale glow of cell phones provided a fragile solution. However, since 2015-2016, we have been keen to reduce expenses relating to public lighting as much as possible. What to do then? Only one long-term path: modernize the existing fleet. Today we receive the dividends.
What does this modernization consist of?
This modernization can be described as ambitious, with an investment of more than 400,000 euros (130,000 for municipal finances) over the last twenty-four months. More than 350 bulbs (out of 1,200) were changed to LED bulbs, allowing the LED fleet to increase from 25 to 45%. The flexibility of this low-consumption technology is such that, for the main avenue, we carried out a retrofit that was less expensive than changing the entire bowl by only swapping the bulbs. You should know that these LED bulbs have a power of 40 watts compared to 100 for the previous ones, a 60% reduction. This has already resulted in a saving of 24,000 euros which has made it possible since the beginning of October to ensure the lighting of one street lamp in two along streets other than in the town center.
So we are back to the well-being of before?
It’s more about well-being, combining security and sustainable development while saving money. It’s not over and we will get there.
