Finnish YLE TV exposes the cost of another EU global warming/energy madness: Traditional mercury vapor lamps used for lighting up public streets and highways have to be replaced by "alternative forms of lighting" by 2015.
The cost for replacing just one street lamp is between 200 - 300 euro (270 - 400 $). European cities and highways are still rather well lighted, so you can imagine what the cost of replacing millions of street lights will add up to.
This enormous waste of taxpayers' money goes on at a time when the European Union countries are in the middle of a serious recession and financial crisis, with youth unemployment exploding!
In 2012 the European Union flipped the switch on incandescent light bulbs in homes as it moved to implement a directive aimed at reducing energy consumption.
Decision makers in Brussels have since taken an equally dim view of mercury vapour lamps used for lighting up public streets and highways. The lamps will be phased out by 2015.
“Energy issues are one factor and the other is environmental,” explained Martti Halmela head of maintenance for the central Finland Economic Development, Transport and Environmental Centre (Ely-keskus).
But the switch over to alternative forms is lighting is likely to be rather costly for municipalities already under financial pressure.
For example Äänenkoski in central Finland must now replace 4,500 street lamps over a distance of 180 kilometres.
“The project is still in its initial phase. We have changed about 300 lamps, mainly on renovation sites. We have calculated that altogether we will spend more than one million euros,” said Äänenkoski maintenance manager Hannu Kaikkonen.
The cost of changing just one street lamp will run between 200 and 300 euros. Because money is tight, many local authorities have resorted to hoarding old backup lamps.
“We’ve quietly built up a stockpile, and we now have enough lamps for four years. That will buy us time to switch the lamps,” Kaikkonen revealed.
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