27 ° air conditioning and windows without light: Spain launches its energy saving plan and unleashes criticism

Spain began applying a controversial decree on Wednesday to comply with energy savings agreed with the European Union, framed in the bloc’s plan to limit Russian gas imports. And immediately the controversy and conflicting opinions broke out.

The plan provides that the refrigeration of companies, commercial premises and public facilities does not drop below 27 degrees in the summer and that the lights of the shop windows and unoccupied buildings are turned off at night.

The initiative, approved by Pedro Sánchez’s executive last week, caused social and political controversy due to the opposition of the regions of law.

These autonomous communities will apply the measures, but question its effectiveness and I reproach them for not agreeing with them or with the affected economic sectors, and Madrid announces that it will appeal them to the Constitutional Court.

The measures, which have actually already been implemented since May for public facilities, are now being applied in “commercial and cultural spaces, department stores and (…) airports and train or bus stations”, said the minister for Ecological transition, Teresa Ribera Ribera.

“In these properties, the heating must be kept at a maximum of 19 degrees Celsius in the winter and a minimum of 27 degrees Celsius in the summer,” he announced at a press conference after a cabinet meeting.

The windows they will have to turn off at 10 at nightas well as the lighting of the monuments, the minister said.

For his part, the director of the energy saving institute of the Ministry for Ecological Transition, Joan Groizard, explained on public television that “the goal of this plan is to save gas to prepare for this winter, in case (the president Russian Vladimir) Putin decided, in the face of sanctions, to cut gas supplies to Europe “.

The decree, in force until November 2023, does not specify the penalties for non-compliance.

As part of this “Energy Saving and Management Plan”, air-conditioned companies “must have automatic locks on the access doors to prevent their permanent opening, with the consequent waste due to the dispersion of energy to the outside”, stated a statement from the ministry.

reactions

The Spaniards are reacting in very different ways to energy saving measures. Some take them with indifference, because they think they will be of little use. Others, on the other hand, are more receptive, despite the reduction in air conditioning in almost all places that came into effect as Spain faces the most intense heat wave in its history.

“It’s not bad here downtown,” says a man when asked by RFI.

“It is logical, because given the lack of energy crisis that exists, it is necessary to look for saving measures in some way”, is understanding another resident of Madrid.

On the contrary, many others are shown disagree With measures. “I think they are not designed for everyone. There are some places where we can’t be at 27 ° C. It’s impossible, we’re dying of heat, “says one woman.

Meanwhile, some bar managers reply that they have already adjusted the air conditioning for some time.

“That I always have it at 27, not now because Mr. Pedro (Sánchez, president of the Spanish government) said so, but on the contrary I always have it at that temperature because otherwise, with the lower temperature it will not stop more. and walks all day ”, says a manager with the satisfaction of having anticipated the new regulations.

In any case, we will have to wait to find out if these measures will really take hold in a very divided population on how to deal with rising gas and electricity costs.

The 27 countries of the European Union pledged in July to do “everything possible” to reduce their gas consumption by at least 15% between August 2022 and March 2023, compared to the average of the last five years of the same period.

By emphasizing their lowest level of energy connection with the rest of the continent, Spain and Portugal managed to persuade Brussels to reduce their target to 7%.

Source: RFI and EFE