In order to save energy, the lights should be switched off at night on monuments as well as on advertising systems. With simple examples, the federal government wants to set an example that citizens should follow. Some of them have a keen eye on the subject.
Stuttgart/Karlsruhe (dpa/lsw) – Citizens in the southwest report to the authorities to point out possible energy waste. This is how the cities of Stuttgart and Karlsruhe reported it. The Ombudsman for the state of Baden-Württemberg, Beate Böhlen, has also received initial inquiries about permanent lighting during the day at Stuttgart Central Station. “I assume that this will increase if it gets dark earlier and if it becomes more obvious to people,” said the Greens politician to the German Press Agency.
As a short-term energy-saving measure, the federal government had decided, among other things, to ban lighting for public monuments and to ban the operation of so-called illuminated or light-emitting advertising systems after 10 p.m. Exceptions apply, for example, to illuminated advertising at bus stops.
According to a spokeswoman, for example, the complaints received in the Karlsruhe town hall also revolved around illuminated advertising signs and stairwells. However, since the legislature has not yet regulated the implementation of the regulation – i.e. there is currently no legal regulation as to whether and how violations of it are punished – there is still no binding procedure, she said.
According to a spokesman, the city of Stuttgart approaches the companies or operators if there are such indications. “However, there are often technical challenges that make it difficult to switch off the lights and have to be solved first,” he explained. For example, the lighting can be linked to the alarm system.
The situation was similar with the permanent lighting at the main train station, as the Ombudsman Böhlen reported: the street lamps would have had to be connected to the construction site electricity temporarily. “It was a measure over a few days.” Nevertheless, two or three inquiries came immediately as to whether energy could be saved at this point.
Overall, according to Böhlen and the cities, reports from the population are still limited. The tone is also friendly, according to the Ombudsman. That was not always the case with Corona. “At the moment the topic is not affecting so many people. But if there are actually restrictions, there could be more submissions.”
Because she expects people to talk more about the energy crisis and inflation, Böhlen is expanding her range. From November, the office hours would be extended beyond lunchtime and into the evening, she said. “So that professionals can also make better use of it.” The exact times are to be published on the website www.buergerbeauftragte-bw.de. Böhlen wants to do the consultation hours with three colleagues.
Your goal is not just to forward the inquiries. “If it’s within our means, then we’ll give answers,” said the politician. Even if the case doesn’t actually affect their area of ??responsibility – as in the case of Stuttgart Central Station.
Böhlen assumes that people who live in precarious financial circumstances will also contact the authorities directly with which they are in contact anyway with regard to the problems resulting from the war in Ukraine. “Consumer centers are also burdened.”
