After the Eiffel Tower, it is the Louvre and Versailles which will bring forward the extinction of their lighting, a “symbolic” measure to raise public awareness of the energy crisis (AFP/Archives/JOEL SAGET)
After the Eiffel Tower, it is the Louvre and Versailles which will bring forward the extinction of their lighting, a “symbolic” measure to raise awareness of the energy crisis, said Saturday the Minister of Culture Rima Abdul Malak.
“As of this (Saturday) evening”, the Pyramid of the Louvre will be extinguished at 11:00 p.m. instead of 1:00 a.m., declared the minister on France 2, in the wake of similar measures taken by the city of Paris which decided this week to plunge the Eiffel Tower and the Hôtel de Ville into darkness earlier.
“We are also going to turn off the facade of the Palace of Versailles at 10 p.m. instead of 11 p.m. next week,” she added.
“Symbols are important to raise awareness,” she said, adding that “these symbolic measures” were not enough.
She called for more concrete measures for the ecological transition in museums, cinemas, theaters and “all cultural places in France”.
The Musée d’Orsay, for example, “has reduced its energy consumption by a third just by changing the bulbs and switching to LEDs. We are trying to do this in all the museums. Changing the boilers, replacing them with heat pumps etc …”, argued the minister.
With cinemas, “we are discussing the replacement of their projectors”.
“If they switch to laser projectors, they can reduce their energy consumption by seven,” said Ms. Abdul Malak.
The mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo announced this week measures such as the reduction of ornamental lighting or the temperatures of buildings and swimming pools which should make it possible to reduce energy consumption in the capital by 10%, i.e. “the objective requested on a national level”.
Energy prices have exploded in recent months, against the backdrop of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and in many countries, individuals, companies or public bodies are seeking to reduce their consumption.
© 2022 AFP
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