When the Departmental Energy Union of Calvados (SDEC) asked the mayor of Épron to experiment with the “J'allume ma rue” application, he did not hesitate for a second.
From February, the inhabitants of this small town north of Caen will therefore be able, on an experimental basis, to use this application to turn on public lighting with their telephone.
She will walk from midnight to 6 a.m.
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"
Its operation is very simple
" explains Franck Guéguéniat proudly, "
the app gives you a geolocated identification number which allows you to light up the street where you are
".
In reality, the application will not allow lighting a single street, but a "
sector
" including several.
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“
These are electrical cabinets that control the town's lighting network. There are ten in all, but only three will be used for the experiment,
”explains Wilfried Kopec, head of the public lighting service at the SDEC. “
When a passer-by activates the lighting of a street, he will also switch on all the lampposts controlled by the electrical cabinet in question. Between 20 and 40 streetlights, roughly, which will be on for between 2 and 4 minutes,
”he adds.
All this is anonymous and completely free for users.
But the SDEC, which finances the experiment, has paid him around 1,400 euros for supplies per cabinet.
Without counting the 300 euros more per cabinet for the installation.
An investment which, according to him, allows "
approximately 35% of savings related to the cut
".
Franck Guéguéniat speaks for his part of 6,000 to 10,000 euros in savings per year.
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The “
J'allume ma rue
” proposal came about in a context where public lighting, on all night long, raised problems in terms of the development of biodiversity in the area.
"
Streetlights on all night long, it's harmful for animals, birds ...
" says Wilfried Kopec.
"It may be a bit bitchy"
The idea was well received by the city council of Épron.
Of its 19 members, including the mayor, 18 voted in favor.
And even if they are all on the same list, the councilor says he is "
very pleasantly surprised
".
He expected some to vote against or abstain.
On the side of the inhabitants, Franck Guéguéniat has not yet returned.
"
It may be a bit bitchy
" he anticipates, "
because of the fact that we turn off when before it was on all night
."
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For those who do not have a smartphone or who are not very comfortable with it, the mayor of the small town of 1,644 inhabitants assures that they have "
no worries
".
“
Even older people are very connected
,” he assures us, “
as for children, it is rare that they are alone in the street between midnight and 6 am
”.
The experiment should last between 3 and 5 months.
At the end of this test period, a survey will be carried out among the population.
If the results are conclusive, the device will be perpetuated and extended to the 10 electrical cabinets in the municipality.
This is what Wilfried Kopec and Franck Guéguéniat hope.
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Of the 457 municipalities for which the SDEC manages public lighting, this operation only concerns the municipality of Épron.
But Franck Guéguéniat would not be surprised if the device is adopted in other cities.
“
It's a good compromise between the financial aspect and the ecological aspect
” he assures us.