Undeterred by energy costs, German man turns his home into Christmas wonderland

Record ID: 1700817

  • Title: Undeterred by energy costs, German man turns his home into Christmas wonderland
  • Date: 5th December 2022
  • Summary: OLCHING, GERMANY (DECEMBER 3, 2022) (REUTERS) LED LIGHTS GOING ON TO SHOW ILLUMINATED CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS OUTSIDE HOUSE, PEOPLE WATCHING VARIOUS OF ILLUMINATED ANIMALS, SLEDGES AND A SNOWMAN (SOUNDBITE) (German) OWNER OF ILLUMINATED HOUSE, MANFRED PIRINGER, SAYING: “The electricity bill is obviously an issue. I recently had a look at it and the costs rose drastically but we switched to LED lights a while ago. We also try not to turn on the lights if it rains. We only turn them on when people show up and that’s Friday, Saturday and Sunday. If we see that no one is here we turn them off.” ILLUMINATED TRAIN SURROUNDED BY COLOURFULLY LIT ANIMALS (SOUNDBITE) (German) OWNER OF ILLUMINATED HOUSE, MANFRED PIRINGER, SAYING: “There will always be people who don’t like such houses. They always existed and that doesn’t have anything to do with the energy crisis. A Christmas house will always divide people. It’s like when you look at a nice painting. Some like it, others don’t. Some celebrate Christmas traditionally, others a little differently.” VARIOUS OF ILLUMINATED FIGURINES (SOUNDBITE) (German) VISITOR, MARIA POLLHAMMER, SAYING: “I think it’s great because after all, it costs quite something. I also decorated my house a little and in my neighbourhood, I‘m the only one to go wild with my decoration, but not as crazy as this. But people like it and I notice myself (gestures), people pass and they are saying, ‘how beautiful.’ It’s something for the soul.” (SOUNDBITE) (German) VISITOR, BENEDETTA DELSOLE, SAYING: “I find it beautiful. I come every year with the children, no matter who comes to visit. Today it’s my nieces and my grandson. We always come by because every time, it’s different. I find it beautiful.” MUNICH, GERMANY (NOVEMBER 30, 2022) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF HAUKE DOERK (pron.: HOW-ke DURK) OF ‘MUNICH ENVIRONMENT INSTITUTE’ SPEAKING TO REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (German) MUNICH ENVIRONMENT INSTITUTE, HAUKE DOERK, SAYING: “Christmas lights can be seen as the tip of the iceberg of a totally escalated energy consumption in our hyper consumer societies. They don’t make up the main part but just to mention a few figures, and this is an estimate from 2021: 19.5 billion lights will be turned on in private households alone. That’s equal to the annual energy consumption of 200,000 households, a mid-sized city.” DOERK SPEAKING TO REPORTER OLCHIN, GERMANY (DECEMBER 3, 2022) (REUTERS) CHRISTMAS LIGHTS GOING OFF
  • Embargoed: 19th December 2022 13:23
  • Keywords: Christmas controversy decoration energy costs lights
  • Location: OLCHING & MUNICH, GERMANY
  • City: OLCHING & MUNICH, GERMANY
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Europe,Living/Lifestyle,Society/Social Issues
  • Reuters ID: LVA001443805122022RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:Soaring energy costs across Germany and beyond did not deter a Christmas decoration fan from turning his home near Munich into a festive wonderland illuminated by 20,000 colourful lights.
    The so called Christmas house in Olching northwest of the Bavarian capital has become a traditional excursion during Christmas time for visitors from near and far.
    House owner Manfred Piringer, who had been setting up light chains, illuminated animals and snowmen for over a month, confirmed that “the electricity bill is obviously an issue.”
    “I recently had a look at it and the costs rose drastically but we switched to LED lights a while ago. We also try not to turn on the lights if it rains,” said Piringer.
    After two consecutive years of darkness outside Olching’s Christmas house due to the coronavirus pandemic, Piringer now lights up his house and its front yard only “when people show up and that’s Friday, Saturday and Sunday. If we see that no one is here we turn them off.”
    Munich’s Environment Institute, an independent organisation lobbying for environmental causes, said an estimate from last year showed that even though Christmas lights did not make up the main part of Germany’s energy consumption, they still accounted for the annual electricity utilisation of 200,000 households, “a mid-sized city.”
    “19.5 billion lights will be turned on in private households alone,” said Hauke Doerk.
    Germany will introduce a price cap on electricity for households and industrial consumers as part of measures to help Europe's largest economy weather an energy crisis, according to a draft document from the chancellery seen by Reuters last month.
    (Production: Louisa Off, Christine Uyanik, Michele Sani)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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