As cities, municipalities and Finland as a whole think about ways to cut electricity consumption amid rising energy costs this winter, one option being considered is reducing the amount of lighting used on the country's motorways.
Meanwhile, in a similar savings effort, at least one supermarket chain has already announced plans to save electricity in various ways, including turning off the illuminated signs outside the store after closing time.
Around 12,000 of Finland's 78,000 kilometres of roads are illuminated by street lights, according to Virpi Anttila, the infrastructure management division director at the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency.
She said the idea of turning off road lighting is not a new one, as the country has previously switched off street lights along stretches of road with little traffic.
"Another method could be to turn off every other street light. There have also been trials where of lighting was adjusted according to sensor-detected traffic levels," Anttila explained.
In the face of rising energy costs, the agency is looking into how to save money and nighttime switch-offs are one of the first options. But the broader goal is finding ways to reduce electricity consumption in the morning and afternoon hours when electricity use levels are at their highest, which happen to be during commuting rush hours.
"The challenge is that we have high traffic volumes right at those times and, particularly during winter, when there may be power shortages. It is dark at those hours, so we also have to consider traffic safety," Anttila explained.
He said the agency is planning to discuss the matter with regional offices of the Ely Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment — the body responsible for road lighting — in November, when the dark hours of the day have lengthened.
Lights out at the supermarket
K Group, which operates grocery stores and supermarkets across the country said it aims to save electricity by as much as 15 to 20 percent.
"Obviously, as a big operator, we must do our part as we strive collectively to save electricity. We believe that by taking certain extraordinary measures, we can temporarily reduce K Group’s electricity consumption by as much as 15-20 percent, should electricity production in Finland so necessitate," K Group's Building Services Manager, Antti Kokkonen, said in a statement.
"Planning and preparing together could help us prevent electricity shortages in Finland next winter," he continued.
Curbing electricty consumption methods are also being explored by supermarket companies S Group and Lidl.
S Group's Head of Real Estate Energy Management, Matti Loukkola, said the firm has not made any concrete plans yet.
"Electricity supply needs to be secured in all situations, so we all have an interest in finding ways to prevent shortages," Loukkola said.
He added that saving energy at grocery stores was a complicated matter and that supermarkets cannot be turned off completely, due to issues like the refrigeration of food.
Adjusting store lighting schemes could offer major energy savings, Loukkola said.
Meanwhile, Lidl's Head of Property, Arttu Puhakka, said the company always makes chain-wide decisions, meaning that all stores and distribution centres would be affected by energy use policies.