Con Ed Demands New Yorkers To Curtail Their Energy Usage As Times Square Continues To Consume Vast Quantities Of Electricity
Source: Squarespace/ Unsplash
Energy Hypocrisy
As temperatures soar and air conditioners hum across the five boroughs, Con Edison has once again issued its familiar summer plea: conserve energy or risk blackouts. New Yorkers are told to set thermostats higher, avoid unnecessary appliance use, and “do their part” to protect the grid. Yet while apartments grow stuffy and ceiling fans whirl in futility, one corner of the city continues to consume electricity unabated — Times Square.
The hypocrisy is hard to miss. While residents are asked to dim the lights and endure the heat, Times Square’s sprawling LED billboards beam brightly around the clock, consuming megawatts of electricity to advertise Broadway shows, clothing brands, and digital NFTs. The district’s electric demand is equivalent to a small city, yet it’s seemingly exempt from the austerity measures that everyday New Yorkers are expected to follow.
This double standard underscores a larger contradiction in how the city manages its energy priorities. Residential users — many of them low-income, elderly, or working from home — are urged to bear the burden of conservation, while electricity guzzling digital billboards are allowed to run wild. The reasoning is often economic: Times Square is a vital tourist attraction and symbol of New York’s vitality. But when the same glowing screens that dazzle visitors are powered by the same strained grid that supplies public housing, schools, and hospitals, the disconnect becomes glaring.
Source: Squarespace/ Unsplash
Additional Corporate Impact
It’s not just residential buildings feeling the squeeze — corporate offices across Manhattan and beyond are also receiving curtailment requests, asked to dim lights, reduce elevator use, and scale back HVAC systems during peak demand. Yet while essential operations are pared down, many of these same buildings continue to consume electricity unrestrained with decorative lighting, glowing logos, and branded displays well into the night. From illuminated skyscraper crowns to lobby signage and exterior uplighting, non-essential energy use persists under the guise of corporate image.
This contradiction leaves many businesses caught in a bind: expected to curb consumption while still maintaining the visual identity and prestige demanded by the competitive New York market. The broader issue isn't just about usage — it's about priorities.
What’s Next?
Con Ed defends its policies by noting that it has no authority to curtail commercial lighting in specific districts — but the optics are damning. Asking families to suffer through sticky August nights while Coca-Cola logos shimmer in high-definition is a tough sell, especially in a city already grappling with rising utility costs and deepening inequality.
As long as real estate companies in New York City are committed to sustainable electricity practices — investing in energy-efficient systems, sourcing from renewables, and offsetting their consumption — they’re welcome to light up the skyline all they want. The city’s illuminated architecture is part of its identity, but it should never come at the expense of everyday New Yorkers struggling with grid strain or rolling back their usage to prevent blackouts. As long as the bright lights don’t dim the lives of those on the ground, there’s room for both brilliance and responsibility.
If New York is serious about sustainability and fairness, the conversation can’t end with residential appeals. It’s time for the city and state to reevaluate how energy is distributed — and to ask whether Times Square’s glow is worth the cost when the rest of us are told to sweat it out in the dark.
