By turning the light off in Rīga at night, nearly €600,000 was saved in half a year. Turning off the lights on the facades and sports fields also helped save.
Police said crime hasn't increased at this time. "These empty hours at night are between two and six in the morning. But to be sure, it was decided on the same empty hour [lights-off] from 3 to 4. Until now, we have not observed that the number of calls would be increased due to darkness," said Toms Sadovskis, spokesman of Rīga Municipal Police.
Electricity prices have fallen slightly on the stock exchange, and no streets will be left in the darkness.
“This partial lighting shutdown on the streets will stop and everything will be turned back on. For places where lighting was partially switched off, it will take time for us to sort things out,” said Valters Krasts, technical director of the Rīga municipality agency "Rīgas gaisma".
It is now decided that street lighting will be switched off at night only if the electricity exchange price exceeds EUR 160 per megawatt hour.
