Temperature ceiling in administrations and more hot water in public buildings: Germany, which fears gas shortages, enacted a series of measures to save energy on Wednesday, calling on individuals and companies to follow suit.
The public powers intend to set an example: heating in administrations and public buildings will be limited to 19 degrees from September 1, according to a decree issued this Wednesday. Heating will be limited even to 12 degrees when employees do intensive physical work.
It will be turned off in common areas like hallways and there will be no hot water for handwashing. In companies, the minimum temperatures to be respected will be lowered, a way of encouraging, without forcing, the private sector to participate in the effort. Hospitals and social institutions are exempt from the measures.
shortage this winter
The measures decided on Wednesday should make it possible to reduce gas consumption in Germany by 2%.
Other decided measures, shops will no longer be able to keep their doors open if the interior of the store is heated, the night lighting of the buildings will be prohibited and the illuminated signs will be turned off between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
The trade federation HDE has already launched a “doors closed, shop open” advertising campaign amid fears of a drop in footfall if customers are dissuaded from crossing the threshold.
The heating of private pools will also be prohibited from September 1 during the six months of validity of the decree, if it consumes electricity or gas from the public network.
For several weeks, the government of Foreign Minister Olaf Scholz has called for national mobilization to save energy, whose prices have skyrocketed, and while the supply could deteriorate this winter due to the war in Ukraine.
Germany depended at the beginning of June on 35% of Russian gas for its imports, compared to 55% before the war in Ukraine. More than 50% of the heating of the fireplaces is always ensured with gas.
Source: BFM TV
