Berlin stops lighting important buildings in the city. These include the Victory Column, the Red Town Hall, the Memorial Church and Charlottenburg Palace, as announced by the Senate Department for the Environment, Mobility, Consumer and Climate Protection.
As early as Wednesday, some sights should no longer be illuminated. From now on, the lights will remain off at the Berlin Cathedral, the Marienkirche, in the Lustgarten, at the Arsenal, the Old Palace and the equestrian statue Unter den Linden.
“In light of the war against Ukraine and Russia’s energy policy threats, it is important that we use our energy as carefully as possible. This also and especially applies to the public sector,” said Environment Senator Bettina Jarasch (Greens). That is why the buildings in Berlin that are the responsibility of the state will no longer be illuminated. “From our point of view, that is justifiable in this situation, also to make a visible contribution.”
Three evacuation crews from an electrical company are now in action to switch off the radiators. 100 to 120 lights could be disconnected every day. It takes three to four weeks for all the planned buildings to remain dark.
In the responsibility of the Senate Department for the Environment, Mobility, Consumer and Climate Protection, a total of around 200 objects in the state of Berlin are currently being illuminated. The administration announced that around 1,400 spotlights on lighting masts were used for these buildings and monuments.
The connection value of all lighting is therefore around 100,000 watts, the power consumption is around 200,000 kilowatt hours per year and costs the state around 40,000 euros annually.
However, the country is not initially saving any money with the campaign. The one-off costs for manually switching off the individual radiators are similar to the money saved by using less electricity. In the short term, the “significant energy saving effect” is therefore more decisive than pure economic efficiency, explained the Senate Administration.
