Sinn Féin Senator Lynn Boylan has called for the Government to restrict the hours of LED advertisement billboards to reduce energy demand during peak hours.

Speaking in the Seanad today, Senator Boylan said:

“The Government should follow the example of Germany and reduce the hours that advertisement billboards are lit to help reduce energy demand. 

“The German Government are restricting LED Billboards to just 6 hours of illumination per day. Surely given Ireland’s risk of blackouts and the State’s agreement to reduce demand by 15%, billboards should, at a minimum be switched off during the peak hours of 5-9pm and 7-9am?

“Large LED Billboards use vast amounts of energy. Over a year the typical screen would use the equivalent electricity of 9 Irish households, with some having the capacity to reach the equivalent of 33 homes.

“Across Dublin and other urban centres we are seeing more and more LED advertisement screens appearing, adding more and more pressure to an already constrained energy system. 

“The German Government have rightly identified this type of energy use as non-essential and has introduced legislation to restrict it. 

“The Irish Government should follow suit by insisting that their illumination is restricted during the hours of peak demand.”