• Madrid The Schweppes neon lights celebrate half a century illuminating the nights and photos of the Gran Vía

  • Savings Why does turning off shop windows reduce gas consumption?

The

Schweppes

light will continue to illuminate Madrid's Gran Vía despite the entry into force of the Government's energy saving plan.

As explained in the owner company, "since it is an Asset of Cultural Interest [BIC], it is exempt" from the obligation to remain off, which does apply, for example, to shop windows after 10 at night.

Even so, the emblematic poster will reduce the time in which the colored lines decorate the yellow letters of the beverage brand by two hours a day.

A spokeswoman explains that the decision is part of the company's

"powerful sustainability agenda"

and that with it they want to contribute their "grain of sand" to reducing electricity consumption.

The most photographed neon lights on Gran Vía come on twice a day, at dusk and dawn, with different times depending on the time of year.

From this Friday, instead of turning off at one in the morning

, they will stop being illuminated at 12

and the morning section in which they have been shining for half a century will also be shortened.

Without going into whether it should be turned off at 10 at night or not, in the Ministry of Culture of the Community of Madrid they specify that what is BIC since 2018 is the Capitol Building from which it hangs, but not the light itself.

In fact, four years ago there was already a controversy on account of the "temporary" nature of the license of the cartel and the regional government, then led by Cristina Cifuentes, specified that the owners of the protected property did not have the obligation to maintain it.

Schweppes' announcement was pardoned by the capital's City Council after the approval in 2009 of

the new

Outdoor Advertising Ordinance, more restrictive

with light pollution in the city.

Together with him, the signs of Tío Pepe in Puerta Sol, Firestone in Escuelas Aguirre and BBVA in Paseo de la Castellana were saved.


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