Municipalities and businesses have high costs for electricity. For example, Sandefjord municipality has announced that the temperature in public buildings will be turned down. Nevertheless, they are among the municipalities that news has spoken to that are taking advantage of Christmas lights in the city center streets this year as well. Mayor of Sandefjord, Bjørn Ole Gleditsch, understands that some may react, but believes that the lights are important for people and businesses. – It creates well-being and security in a dark time, says Gleditsch. The municipality participates in a 50/50 joint venture with the business community. They spend NOK 180,000 on winter and Christmas lighting in Sandefjord and Stokke centre. – We make a living from a business that works. Right now, business is struggling a lot with increased electricity costs and because consumption is falling. It is our contribution to ensure that as few people as possible go bankrupt and have a turnover that enables them to survive the winter, he says. Not a big expense The Christmas lights are also lit in Kristiansand, Bergen, Stavanger and Tønsberg this year. In Oslo, the trade stand is responsible for the Christmas lights, while the municipality has winter lighting. The winter lighting will be switched on on Monday 31 October. CHRISTMAS LIGHTS: – Lighting is an important measure for establishing good urban spaces and creating meeting places, says Maja Cimmerbeck, department director at the Oslo City Environment Agency. The municipality is responsible for winter lighting in the city. Photo: Stian Lysberg Solum / NTB In order to save electricity, the winter lights are turned off in the second week of January instead of March, says Maja Cimmerbeck, department director at the Urban Environment Agency. – In addition, the lights will be off on Karl Johan at night and follow the street lighting that follows sunset and sunrise, she says. It costs around NOK 15,000 for electricity and NOK 150,000 for maintenance. – Lighting is an important measure for establishing good urban spaces and creating meeting places, says Cimmerbeck. Need light and joy – Tønsberg is known for its beautiful Christmas streets. We all need a little light and joy in the Advent season. Perhaps especially now that many are struggling, says mayor of Tønsberg, Anne Rygh Pedersen. LIGHT IN THE STREETS: – We all need a little light and joy in the Advent season. Perhaps especially now that many are struggling, says mayor of Tønsberg, Anne Rygh Pedersen. Here from light balls in the center of Tønsberg. Photo: PHILIP HOFGAARD / news The Christmas streets with a real Christmas tree have a cost of NOK 800,000. The municipality’s share is usually NOK 40,000. It is not the electricity bill that costs, according to Tønsberglivet’s general manager, Cecilie Bækken Sørumshagen. – It’s a led light, she says. The Christmas trade is 20 per cent of the annual turnover, says Sørumshagen. Christmas is extremely important for business. That is why business contributes to decorating for Christmas, she says. In Tønsberg, two and a half kilometers of spruce garlands are under production. Photo: Randi Nørstebø / news In Kristiansand, the Christmas lights are already hanging up from last year. – We need the lights, says park manager in Kristiansand, Aase Hørsdal. – And with led lights, it amounts to so much, she says. YOU GLITTERING GREEN: – We need the lights, says park manager in Kristiansand, Aase Hørsdal. Photo: Kari Løberg Skår / news In the southern town, only the ice rink on the square is up for discussion. – So far, we haven’t been able to stop it, either. Then we’d rather make a new assessment for next year, she says. Considering measures in Bergen Bergen municipality has no plans to put up smaller Christmas lights either. But they are considering whether the lights should hang up shorter than usual, which is until February. THERE WILL BE LIGHTS: In Bergen, there will also be Christmas lights this year. But it may be shorter than usual, which is in February. (ARCHIVE IMAGE) Photo: Ann Iren Tellnes Moe Another option is that they are lit fewer hours a day. All the Christmas lighting for which the municipality is responsible consists of LED lights only. – This means that the cost of our Christmas lighting is relatively low compared to the joy it brings, says Jordal. Switch off at night where they can Stavanger switched on winter lights already in mid-October. At the end of November, the Christmas lights are also switched on. Here, too, the expenses are a splicing layer. The costs for the municipality are small, says the city center coordinator in Stavanger municipality, Claus Petersen. IMPORTANT ABOUT LIGHTS: In Stavanger they have winter lights from mid-October and Christmas lights from the end of November. – It is important to bring people together, says Claus Peterson, town center coordinator in the municipality. (ARCHIVE IMAGE) The municipality is responsible for Christmas lights in Byparken in the city centre. It costs no more than a few hundred kroner to have the lights on around the clock throughout the Christmas season, he estimates. Petersen believes that the Christmas lights are important for bringing people together. – It draws people into the city and is like an “event” in the dark. We also feel that the lighting contributes positively to shops and restaurants in the city centre, and it is important to take care of it. Where the lights can withstand it, the municipality switches off the electricity at night. – Not all lighting can be switched off too many times without breaking. But we do it where we can, says Petersen. Agreement in the Storting on electricity subsidies
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Municipalities will not turn off the Christmas lights – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
