City councils and institutions across the country have been in the media these days to announce that they will reduce or maintain the Christmas lights timetable 2022-2023. With energy savings as a backdrop, some councils will opt to switch on the lights minutes later and turn them off minutes earlier. However, in view of the figures, where the bills for expenditure range from 7,000 euros in Zaragoza to 30,000 euros in Vigo, changing the lighting timetable could have practically no economic impact on the bill.

While waiting to find out the definitive timetable for the lights in Palma, the councillor for Infrastructures and Accessibility, Angélica Pastor, has assured that “the current timetable is quite adequate and not excessive, even before the pandemic”. This is from Monday to Friday, adjusted to business hours – until 22:00 – and at weekends until 0:00. Pastor recalled that “since the legislature began, we have made a major commitment to the efficiency of Christmas lighting”. Since 2019, the bulbs that light up the streets during the Christmas period in Palma are all LED technology, “which do not involve excessive energy consumption”.

However, the debate – necessary or not, as what is at stake is saving a derisory amount for the municipal coffers – is on the table. “It will be decided together with all the administrations and the proposal that is agreed upon will be followed, but I believe that our timetable should be maintained,” the councillor said.

cort luces de navidad palma

This newspaper has asked Palma city council to know the energy expenditure for the 2021-2022 Christmas campaign, but the Consistory has not yet provided any figures.

Measures in other Spanish cities

Vigo, one of the cities that attracts the most attention when talking about Christmas lights, registered a bill of 30,000 euros in 2021. In Madrid, a city reluctant to cut back on Christmas lighting, the cost of Christmas lighting amounts to 180 euros per hour. For its part, Malaga, whose 2021 bill amounted to 21,000 euros, will this year reduce the lights by two hours to reach an expenditure of around 14,000 euros.

In other cities such as Valladolid, the cost of electricity used to light the streets during the Christmas period in 2021 was close to 8,000 euros. Finally, in Zaragoza, the municipal coffers expect to have an impact of no more than 8,000 euros to cover the electricity bill generated by the Christmas lights in 2022-2023.