what will change in the Dijon Metropolis
Faced with the crisis, how to avoid gas and electricity shortages this winter? On Thursday, October 6, 2022, the government presented its “energy sobriety plan”
, with 15 “flagship measures”. Lighting, heating, holiday lights, how will this “sobriety” translate into the Dijon metropolitan area? While in total, the energy bill for the city of Dijon, with the increases, has increased from 6.5 million to 9.5 million euros per year, France Bleu Bourgogne takes stock with Jean-Patrick Masson, elected at the Métropole, deputy in charge of ecological transition.
Reduction in the intensity of public lighting
“This year, between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., we are going to switch to 50% light intensity compared to the maximum power of the lamps. This does not involve changing the bulbs, indicates the chosen one. We have a system, through About Dijon
which allows us to control our different masts and therefore the intensity of the lighting”. Public lighting is the main source of electricity consumption in the city.
In the city centre, for example on the Place de la Liberation, the facades of the buildings are lit At nightfall. “Of course, we are going to tackle this subject, for the moment we have not stopped a specific plan. We are working on this element, promises Jean-Patrick Masson. There are questions of schedules or we can switch off completely, so we have to discuss the schedules. The animation of the city center is a subject, since there are a certain number of people who frequent the city center in the evening”.
On businesses that stay lit at night
In parallel with the government plan, a ,
announced in July 2022,
has just been published. This was already the case for Dijon, but it generalizes for all French cities the extinction of lights in stores, for windows and signs, from one o’clock to six o’clock in the morning. An obligation not always respected according to the local branch of Greenpeace in Dijon. It challenges the Metropolis on the subject, with a petition
. First to enforce these rules, but also to extend the times when the lights must be turned off.
“There are a lot of shops that don’t do it, but I must say that the vast majority do, if only because it affects their bills. But, indeed, some, which belong to chains, don’t turn off, recognizes Jean-Patrick Masson. The problem is that we are not provided with the means to control and issue reports. We have the law, but that has to translate into control capabilities. It is the domain of the municipal police at the start of the evening, but after that it is the national police and they have often chosen to do “. According to him, there were no fines or penalties against businesses that would leave the lights on at night, in Dijon.
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Lower the temperature in buildings, but also in the tramway
According to the government plan, in offices, the maximum temperature will have to be 19°C, lowered to 16°C in storage places or at night. A rule that will be followed in Dijon. “Apart from what concerns early childhood, in nurseries, kindergartens, where there is the need to maintain a level of comfort, confirms Jean-Patrick Masson. In the gymnasiums, we will control the temperature. In the trams, we will go from 17 degrees to 15 degrees, because people are dressed, they have their coats”.
supplementary question, driver commentary the Palace of the Dukesancient monument, by definition more difficult to isolate? “We have modern boilers that consume much less energy, says Jean-Patrick Masson. There are big savings on heating control. This is called centralized technical management, it results in much finer control. We do not heat certain spaces unnecessarily”.
The elected also recalls that the temperature will drop by one degree in the swimming pools municipal, “which consume enough energy”. All these rules must come into force “in the coming days”.
What are the consequences for Christmas lights?
We already know that the Christmas lights in Dijon do not will last
that four weeks, compared to five normallyand that the daily ignition time will be reduced. “There is a lighting plan, the technical services must work to keep the festive side and at the same time reduce energy consumption”foreseeing Jean-Patrick Masson.
And then ?
Elected to the Metropolis in charge of ecological transition, Jean-Patrick Masson asks the question of the future. “What we don’t know is how it will go next. What will be the government’s position in terms of the tariff shield?” Today, in terms of electricity, Dijon is mainly supplied by EDF, but also by competitors, particularly for green, renewable energies. “We are going to have to renew our contracts, what prices will we have at the moment, since we can fall into a more or less favorable situation?”.