We close our illuminated signs at night, we turn off our computers, we limit ourselves to a minimum of heating… ”
With a smile on her face, Anne-Sophie Françon lists the measures recently taken by the business for which she works in order to limit its energy consumption. Located in rue Victor-Hugo, a pedestrian shopping avenue in the heart of Lyon, the Générale d’Optique eyewear store contributes to the collective effort.
Lyon, a French city known for the cinematographic exploits of the Lumière brothers and for its free festival, the Festival of Lights, is however preparing to turn them off.
Here, reducing energy consumption has been on everyone’s lips for months. In August, the French President, Emmanuel Macron, announced in a speech that marked the spirits that France was experiencing “the end of abundance, evidence and recklessness”. Since then, there has been great apprehension about low temperatures and heating bills, which promise to be steep.
“I will have to cut back on my vacations and my hobbies, make fewer short trips,” underlines Mireille, edimaster in a Lyon company. Met on Place Bellecour, a vast esplanade of beaten earth in the center of the city, the lady claims, however, to be serene with the situation.
The same goes for Danae Lepage and Nina Chazalnoel. The two young women, respectively an employee of an environmental association and a student, firmly believe in the need for a collective effort. “The luminous signs of stores, it is a long time that we should have prohibited their illumination during the night”, affirms Nina. Danae worries about her rent hike, which seems inevitable. ” It scares me. But we’ll keep the temperature at 19 degrees [la recommandation gouvernementale]. We’ll put on sweaters if necessary! »
It must be said that in Lyon, the relationship to the cold is not the same as in Quebec. Here, several passers-by wear a thick coat as soon as the temperature reaches 15 degrees. At 10 degrees, toques invade the streets.
Business puzzles
The City launched its sobriety plan at the beginning of October. Among the measures adopted: interruption of public lighting four nights a week from 2 a.m. to 4:30 a.m., reduction in the duration of Christmas lights and heating limited to 18 degrees in most public places. A charter signed with merchants commits them to turning off their neon signs for the night and closing the doors of their premises when the heating is on.
It is in a professional capacity that Laurent Corbiere dreads the approaching winter. Passing through Lyon for a business trip, the man runs a retirement home in Narbonne, a town four hours by car south of Lyon. “The next few months promise to be extremely difficult,” he mentions without preamble.
He fears a significant increase in the energy bill, but is proactive in reducing the building’s consumption. “We installed radiators that turn on manually in the bathrooms. Before, they stayed on constantly, he explains. And residents are asked to close the windows when the heating is on, which was not the case before. »
Same apprehensions at Bagel Corner, a small café on rue Victor-Hugo. “We applied for a grant to offset the increase in the energy bill, but we don’t know if we will get it,” says Sandrine Taillefer, assistant manager. Even without the subsidy, the business should survive, but “it will reduce our cash flow”. In the meantime, every little gesture counts: “We turn on our toaster as late as possible and we don’t light all of our premises. »
At the Little Brothers of the Poor, the assistant to the regional director, Dominique Viallon, believes that the worst is yet to come: “In January, that’s when the bill should increase the most. She notes that for the moment, the situation has not reached a critical point among the poorest.
Celebrations anyway
However, energy constraints are not enough to overshadow the holiday celebrations, which are already in full swing in the heart of the city. Against the backdrop of frenzied Christmas music, visitors can get mulled wine and tartiflette at the Lyon Christmas market. The hundred traders present must however deal with some new measures.
Lighting fixtures in small chalets selling food and Christmas gifts must be turned off as soon as the market closes. “The other day, lights were left on in our area, and the organization left us a note to remind us to turn them off,” notes Adrien, an employee of the Cidre Mauret business. Installing heating for customers is also prohibited.
The Festival of Lights, a major festival of audiovisual projections which attracted nearly two million visitors last year, will take place from December 8 to 11.
In short, life goes on. But not quite like before.