Why doesn't America turn the lights off at night?

1. 58

   harmony155posted 10 years ago

   Why doesn't America turn the lights off at night?
   
   Skyscrapers in downtown cities keep lights on inside at night, unnecessarily. Isn't this such a waste of resources?

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2. 0

   Justsilvieposted 10 years ago

   Like your question.
   
   Someone actually did the research on this and all the issues they thought were the reason. Like safety for planes, building cleaning, and the cost of turning on and off were all off track. The just don't bother turning them of usually because no one  brings it up.
   
   Seems that a simple installation of motion detection lighting could be the answer and bringing the subject to the attention of the building facilities management.

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3. 75

   CraftytotheCoreposted 10 years ago

   I remember reading somewhere one time that there are places in the world that have light pollution ordinances.  Not sure where though.  Some cities are 24 hour places.  They never sleep.
   
   I know where I live, the traffic lights blink after a certain time at night and come back on the next morning at 9 a.m.  Most everyone rolls up their sidewalks early around here. 
   
   One time there was a wild animal screaming in the woods.  I looked outside and you could see all the house lights going on in a row.  Most people around here shut everything off.  It's peaceful.

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4. 80

   dashingscorpioposted 10 years ago

   It would be rather eerie to drive through a major city like New York, Chicago, LA or wherever at night and see all the office buildings blacked out. One of the romantic and attractive qualities about city skylines is how beautiful they look lit up. It's like looking at a metropolitan Christmas tree! :-)
   Postcard photos that contain photos of cities at night look great too!
   Generally speaking there are two ways to approach a crisis. The first is to cut back or sacrifice. The second is to be creative/innovative and develop products or services that will allow us to either continue or further enhance our lifestyles.
   I've never been one of those people who imagine the world's future will resemble a "Mad Max" movie where we have no resources.
   I think there are some incredible mind blowing future inventions on the horizon.

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5. 86

   Express10posted 10 years ago

   Quite often people feel more safe knowing that things are well lit. Also, it is common knowledge that criminals and ill-minded people wanting to do something illegal or immoral, prefer darkened spaces rather than well-lit ones. Motion detection lights can be a good option for a single family home but they are not always the smartest choice for every building. At many homes there are not many passers by, human and otherwise, to trigger them into being on longer than they are off.
   I live in an area of the country with many historic buildings and neighborhoods however, historic buildings don't always have to be decades or centuries old. Buildings officially deemed historic can often have massive headaches with various boards and regulations that must approve every change before it happens. An issue with even slightly older buildings (historic or not), those just several years old, is that the larger they are the more expensive it is to remove old lighting and install motion detection lights. If they are historic buildings, various structures or decorative elements can be damaged or destroyed in the process which doesn't really create much of a ROI when attempting to save energy or money on lighting.
   In historic applications costs of installation drive costs up further due to owners having to find very specific styles, materials, sizes, having to have them approved and lessens the incentive for owners to switch to motion detection lights if they are even available in the very specific styles, materials, sizes, etc. that fit the historic look of the building/neighborhood. Further, there are some applications where motion detection lights will stay on from dusk til dawn simply due to the movements of people, cars, and animals. Large buildings that aren't historic still have high costs with little return on the investment to the owners shelling out for it.

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6. 0

   JThomp42posted 10 years ago

   No, I would not think so. It is for safety from the criminal element as well as guiding lights for planes, etc.

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   1. 58

      harmony155posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I would think that planes have adequate GPS devices now and also big cities typically have no-fly zones (after 9/11)

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7. 97

   DrMark1961posted 10 years ago

   Paris, the city of lights, recently passed laws that require shops and businesses to turn off the lights at night when they are closed. If they can do it, there is no reason other cities cannot follow.
   For those of you that think leaving the lights on protects you from criminals--get real. Leaving the lights on does not make you safer, and it sure is not to guide planes at night.

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   1. 58

      harmony155posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I couldn't agree more!

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8. 91

   Sherry Hewinsposted 10 years ago

   I don't know how they do it in New York' but in the town I live in businesses usually turn most of the lights out but leave a few on, so it's not completely dark. I don't why.

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9. 66

   jeffreymaskelposted 10 years ago

   I think they probably keep some lights on for safety reasons.  It is unfortunate though.  Resources as well as light pollution.  I used to live in Illinois about an hour from Chicago.  Now I live in Colorado.  I had never seen so many stars in my life until I camped in the back of my truck one night in the mountains.  I think if more people knew how much of the sky they are missing at night they might turn more lights off in the world.  It seems petty but ever since I have moved here I can't stand light pollution.  Turn of your lights!  Please.

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