instead or perhaps as well as power cuts, they should think about all the buildings lit up at night

[MrsLargeEmbodied]

total waste of electricity
causes light pollution
what exactly are the benefits?

Agree. Or even have them lit up 7-9pm and then off for the rest of the night.

YANBU. I’ve complained to my MP about this before. We have all the street lights off at 11pm but the car show took next door lights up the sky and can be seen from 3 miles away. Not even joking about that distance, people from the other side of the m25 could see it!!!

meanwhile we will be eating our slop in freezing cold hours by candle light.

Houses*

Totally agree.

I feel lights on all commercial premises should be off once they are closed.

I also hope the level of heating in some non residential properties will be reviewed. When I was in hospital several years ago we were begging for the heating to be turned down / windows opened. It is the same in many shops.

If any good comes out of this situation it may be a reduction in unnecessary energy use.

Yes it's appalling. New houses going up near me and they are left fully lit in every room at night time.

What's the fucking point in us bothering when governments and corporations don't care it's like swimming against the tide

Totally agree. I live near several car showrooms with huge lights lit up all night around the parking areas. If you live anywhere nearby you'd need blackout blinds they're that bright! However, places like that, and shops etc, will want to keep their lights burning to reduce the risk of burglaries.

Shops also need to lower their heating.

Customers go in wearing outdoor clothing,and within a few minutes you're overheated.

And vandalism.

The staff aren't wearing outdoor clothing and are there all day.

During working hours shops should also close their bloody doors. It always really annoys me, in the summer, air con on full blast, doors open. In the winter heating on full blast, doors open. Just close the doors.

It's one thing to keep buildings lit up for theft risk, I can see why a car showroom would want to be lit.

But we light up churches and other historic buildings just because it looks nice.

Another thing is that well lit areas are safer and more pleasant to walk in at night.

Absolutely! And the government should lead on this by turning them off in/on government buildings.

Very true, although personally I find churches lit up at night kind of creepy 😆

Theft is not a consideration or excuse in all cases - I think that particular showroom uses the top two floors of the local multi story to store their cars. It’s triple maybe quadruple locked. So… just waste, light pollution and free advertising as you can see it like a laser beam. And then Herts council turn off the street lights to make people think they are so considerate of the environment!

Isn't it crap that it took escalating energy prices and the threat of blackouts for us to push for these type of things, rather than the environmental reasons.

Not having a go at you OP - I completely agree, and am guilty of not giving the issue much thought until now either.

Oh yes turn the bloody heat down in buildings! Always far, far too hot for me. In John Lewis at the weekend I had to remove my cardigan and my scarf (I was already carrying my jacket) and I was still too hot. Sweat running down my face hot.

Our local department store has reduced the number of escalators running (previously double the amnount needed), and turned down the heating slightly for environmental reasons. No noticable discomfort to anyone.

During the 3-day week in the 70s, shops didn't have their window displays lit up after they'd closed for the day.

I don't know if it was compulsory to preserve electricity or something they did voluntarily though. I think it should be compulsory.

in the netherlands and france rules changed recently.

if a shop is heated or air conditioned the doors must be kept shut.

The power cuts if they happen will be about the size of the peak demand - early evening when everyone is cooking etc. Lighting up a building at 2am will have nothing to do with it.

But it is a waste of resources and causes light pollution @Thegreenballoon

I don’t know re the practicalities. Do large office buildings have night staff for security

I agree re shops though - far too hot and doors open

Maybe public pressure could start to change this. Their rates aren’t capped as consumers are and it must be costing a fortune

Also energy consuming advertising hoardings ( they won't due to the revenue) but the wasted electricity must all add up!

Totally with you, OP. I've been grunting about this for years. I do try to stick to the principle that my little efforts do count, but it's hard to believe it's worth switching off your own appliances etc when city centres are lit up like the Blackpool Hallucinations every night. There's got to be another way.