While the government is presenting its energy sobriety plan on Thursday, a visible measure against waste symbolically starts on the same day. Illuminated advertisements are now prohibited between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. everywhere in France, with the exception of airports, train stations or metro stations, according to a decree published this Thursday in the Official Journal.
This decree announced in July by the Minister for Energy Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, was expected at a time when energy prices are soaring. In case of control, offenders risk a 5th class criminal fine, up to 1,500 euros per advertisement against 750 euros previously.
Poorly enforced regulations
The text aims to harmonize the existing rules for switching off illuminated advertisements at night, which until now differed according to the size of the agglomeration. The regulations have existed since 2012, but they are poorly applied and did not apply to cities with more than 800,000 inhabitants. Only 6% of municipalities have adopted a regulation prohibiting luminous advertising at night, indicated in July the Ministry of Energy Transition.
The decree provides that this ban now applies throughout the territory with the exception of airports and advertisements “supported by street furniture assigned to transport services and during the hours of operation of the said services, provided, as regards digital advertisements, whether fixed images”.
According to the Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME), a 2 m² digital LCD advertising screen consumes 2,049 kWh/year, i.e. the equivalent of the average annual consumption of a household for lighting and household appliances (excluding heating).