Will there be Christmas lights in the streets of Béarn and Bigorre this winter? Even if the end-of-year holiday season only begins in two months, the question is already being asked for communities. Elected officials are working on the subject in their municipality, and for good reason: this winter, with the rise in energy prices and the government’s call for sobriety, we will have to save money. Mayors say they are ready to make an effort and do not light garlands of light in all streets and at all times.
Savings of tens of thousands of euros
For a small town of about a thousand inhabitants, the Christmas lights represent several tens of thousands of euros in expenses. Already a good sum, without counting the electricity price increaseswhich will further increase the bill this winter.
In order to reduce costs, elected officials are considering several avenues. First of all reduce the number of light garlands, as in Aureilhan (Hautes-Pyrénées), where the mayor is considering putting in half as much this year. Other solution : turn them on for less time. In the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, in Serres-Castet, instead of having illuminations from the beginning of December and until mid-January, the town hall has decided to only operate them for 15 days, during school holidays. “On the other hand, we will of course put more other decorations, non-electric” promises the mayor, Jean-Yves Courrèges.
Many municipalities also explain that the illuminations will go out this year earlier at night. Garlands are also sometimes connected to public lighting which, in certain villages, stop working between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.. This same regime is therefore expecting the Christmas lights this year.
Too hard to completely give up the illuminations
However, in Béarn as in Bigorre, no one seems to want to resolve to completely give up the end-of-year illuminations. A blow too hard for the magic of Christmas say the elect. Especially in the small villages of the Pyrenees which, in winter, attract people, especially for skiing. This is the case at Cauteretsin the Hautes-Pyrenees. “We are a tourist territory, so we cannot be a ghost town either” explains Jean-Pierre Florence, the mayor of the small town. “You also have to take care of the reception, and this lighting is part of it”.
But the elected official says he is aware of the size problem. “We took two options: turn off the lighting at night, and halve the number of garlands. This will considerably reduce our electricity consumption”. The whole challenge for these municipalities will therefore be to finding a not-so-easy balance between a magical Christmas and a low-energy Christmas.