Amber, a responsible choice for our biodiversity

Located in the Moselle department, the municipality of Wœlfling-lès-Sarreguemines, has opted for amber LED technology with the aim of reducing its impact on biodiversity. By converting 70% of its public lighting to amber, this village surrounded by valleys and hills has committed to a sustainable approach to environmental issues alongside the company RAGNI.

In 2014, the local authority, which is deeply committed to environmental issues, decided to seek advice from ANPCEN (the National Association for the Protection of the Sky and the Night Environment) in order to take swift and effective action.

Hervé SIMON, Deputy Councilor explains: “Since 2014, we have been looking at ways to reduce the cost of public lighting and its impact on biodiversity. We became interested in the subject of amber lighting thanks to advice from the ANPCN, which raised our awareness of the consequences of public lighting on living organisms.”

In 2016, local authorities also decided to introduce a partial blackout five days a week from 11:30 p.m. to 4:30 a.m., a time slot that was consulted on in advance so as not to penalize the population.

Mayor Fabien PEIFER :“We held a public meeting with the community and the police beforehand to explain the project. The feedback was mostly positive. The only downside is that we’re not used to living in complete darkness, which can make us feel a bit unsafe. That’s why we’ve adjusted the hours to fit in with residents’ habits and why we turn the lights back on at the weekend.”

The renovation project began in 2018 during a visit by Gilles BECKER, director of the BG LUM agency, who, through the company RAGNI, was able to propose a product that met the municipality’s needs.

From there, an initial investment phase began with a total of 14 units, with the intention of testing the effectiveness of the product for possible future orders.

Gilles BECKER, Head of BG LUM : “This municipality is one of the pioneers in choosing amber lighting. More and more towns are switching to 2200k, which proves that they made the right choice. I always cite Wœlfling-lès-Sarreguemines as an example. It’s a community that is lit with warm temperatures, where you can walk around and feel good.”.

Between 2019 and 2023, investments will continue with the purchase of 73 TEKK M and 4 TEKK S models with amber LEDs.

Mayo Fabien PEIFER concludes: “We do not regret our choice and are very satisfied with the result.”

The choice of amber LEDs, coupled with the new public lighting management policy, has resulted in savings of between 85% and 90%.

Our commitment to strengthening our sustainable development policy is more than ever at the heart of our priorities. More and more municipalities are adopting a responsible approach and moving towards warmer temperatures in order to preserve our biodiversity.

RAGNI therefore wanted to go further by creating an innovative technology that eliminates wavelengths below 500 nm, which are known to contribute to light pollution.

If you would like more details about this new technology, please see the detailed article here.

This is an important innovation at a time when reducing energy bills and installing sustainable, environmentally friendly lighting remain priority issues for local authorities.