Tuesday, December 17, 2019 - Starting next spring, the city of Bruges and Fluvius will replace no fewer than 2,700 'Bruges Lanterns' in the historic city center with LED luminaires with the same look and feel. The old lanterns were in poor condition and also did not comply with environmental legislation. Ships of Public Domain Mercedes Van Volcem: "By making smart choices, approximately 60% energy is saved in the field of public lighting, a significant CO2 reduction is the logical consequence."
Alderman Public Domain Mercedes Van Volcem: “The replacement of all Bruges lanterns, in collaboration with network company Fluvius, is part of the vision of sustainable objectives for public lighting as set out in Bruges' policy program 2019-2024. In addition, it is the ambition of Fluvius and the Flemish government to provide public lighting with smart LED technology by 2030.
The total cost is estimated at € 4.1 million, the roll-out is planned in the first quarter of 2020 and will be spread over a period of 3 years. Ships of Public Domain Mercedes Van Volcem: “The lanterns used to have a power of 85 Watt per lamp, the new lanterns have a power of only 28 Watt per lamp. Together with smart control, this will yield a saving of 60% on our energy bill, which corresponds to € 134,000 per year. ”
For more than 100 years, the Bruges lanterns have contributed to the unique street scene and the historic appearance of the worldwide famous Bruges city center. They could therefore not simply be replaced by modern LED lighting devices that look completely different. That is why Fluvius went looking for a new replica that matches the classic Bruges lanterns as closely as possible, but offers all the modern technological advantages, such as LEDs but also options for dimming. The new Bruges lantern was chosen by a jury from a series of replicas from different suppliers.
