Budapest must do its part in energy conservation, and significant amounts of energy can be saved by forgoing decorative lighting, especially during this critical period of energy consumption, Karacsony said on Facebook on Thursday evening, stressing that the measure does not affect street lighting.

He also urged the owners of privately owned buildings with decorative lighting to follow suit.

"The cityscape may be a little plainer for a while, but more energy will be available for essential purposes - and right now, nothing is more important than that," he wrote.

Buda Castle decorative lighting to be gradually turned off by Monday

The decorative lighting on the buildings of the Buda Castle will be gradually turned off by Monday in response to the critical energy situation, the minister of transport and investment said on Friday.

David Vitezy said on Facebook that he had asked the company’s management to turn off the decorative lights on buildings that belong to the Castle District authority.

"In the current situation, when the domestic electricity grid requires more attention than ever before, reducing all non-essential consumption is justified," he said.

He cited Prime Minister Peter Magyar's announcement that the Paks nuclear power plant is expected to be shut down next week, which could reduce domestic electricity production, making conservation necessary.

He said the decorative lighting on the buildings of the Buda Castle will not be turned back on as long as they pose an unjustified additional burden on the power grid.

He added that this applied also to the Carmelite building and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Family building in the Castle District, and the Citadel on Gellert Hill.

Update: Parliament's decorative lighting to be switched off

Parliament’s decorative lighting will be turned off in response to the current energy situation, Aniko Haller Nagy, the deputy speaker performing the duties of the speaker, said in a post on Facebook on Friday.

She said parliament was doing its part in energy conservation and would pay heightened attention to conscious and efficient energy use.

She said they believed "that collective attention is significant in every situation, and especially now".

Photo: Pixabay

Source: MTI – Hungary’s national news agency since 1881.

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