At night, the city that never sleeps illuminates in a myriad of colors and dazzling lights, from bustling Times Square to the Brooklyn waterfront, where you can see lights glittering beneath the the famous Manhattan skyline. New York City at night sure is an unbelievable sight. But then again you may ask yourself: “Why are those lights still on? Why Is New York City Skyline Always Lit Up?”
It is estimated that 5,200 megawatt-hours of electricity keep Manhattan lit overnight, but the reality of this is, about 99 per cent of those lights need to be on at night. Here’s a breakdown of why the lights stay on.
There are many residental high-rise buildings
Many towers serve as office space, but others are residential buildings. In both kinds of skyscrapers, emergency exits usually stay lit — even when many New Yorkers are sleeping. Fire codes also require a minimum lighting condition, especially around stairs and fire exits, even (or especially) at night.
Security first…
In some cases, it is for security. Having the lights on helps security patrols monitor the building; some places may have security cameras that need light. Usually only a few lights are left on for this purpose; it’s not necessary for all of them to be on.
Many people work late
Sometimes, the building really isn’t empty. Cleaning and maintenance staff typically work after business hours, or maybe some staff is working late. In large retail stores, shelves are restocked at night. For a busy store, this can take all night.
With even a very small number of people working in a building, cleaners and maintenance staff it often becomes impossible to turn off all of the lighting.
Some lights are required to help keep aircraft from crashing
The Federal Aviation Administration generally requires that buildings higher than 200 feet, or about 20 stories, be lit or marked by light. On some of Manhattan’s larger towers, for instance, a red light blinks atop a long antenna.
For new buildings that are slated to exceed 200 feet, the F.A.A. asks developers to complete an aeronautical study to determine whether the structure needs lights to avoid potential hazards to airplanes and helicopters.
It is a trademark of New York City
Instagram teems with photos of the lights in New York, and tourists seem to particularly enjoy the vista, whether they are gazing at billboards in Times Square or taking helicopter and boat tours for a bird’s-eye view of skyscrapers, including the iconic Empire State Building.
The building, which is usually lit in its signature white, has embraced some decorative lighting — orange for Halloween, green for Eid al-Fitr, blue and orange for the New York Knicks — since the Bicentennial in 1976, when red, white and blue shone from its top.
The Empire State Building’s internal lights have been mostly retrofit with motion detector sensors. If light is coming from one of its windows, it is likely that someone is inside.
What about light pollution?
Light pollution is a scourge for nocturnal animals, interfering with reproduction and migration. Birds, for example, that are drawn to light may crash into buildings, particularly ones with transparent or reflective windows. These collisions kill many as 230,000 birds in the city every year. And yes, you can see the stars on a clear night in New York City. There is obviously a lot of light pollution which makes it tougher, but the brighter stars are definitely visible.
