Germany is desperately looking for ways to save energy. The municipalities do not want to be caught unawares by the cold season, but want to proceed as far-sightedly as possible. “In order to have warm apartments in winter, we have to start saving in summer,” said the general manager of the German Association of Cities, Helmut Dedy.
Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck recently questioned the promise that citizens would be the last to be rationed in the event of a gas shortage. Private households would also have to “pay their share,” said Habeck. Because “a permanent or long-term interruption of industrial production” would have “massive consequences” for the supply situation. Because there are currently no fixed rules, a nationwide patchwork quilt is being created. Various measures are being planned or are already being implemented – an overview.
Swimming pools in focus
Swimming pools offer a welcome cool down in the current heat wave. However, the operation is extremely energy-intensive. The German Association of Cities therefore recommends reducing the temperature of the bathing water. Many municipalities have already implemented this. In Potsdam’s indoor swimming pools, for example, the water and room temperatures have been reduced by two degrees, and in saunas and outdoor pools by five degrees. The Brandenburg state capital promises energy savings of 15 percent. Even in Munich’s indoor swimming pools, the outdoor pools are only 30 degrees instead of the usual 34 degrees.
Nuremberg goes the furthest: from July 16, three of the four indoor pools will close there until September 25. “We are reacting to the emerging energy shortage and are freeing up thermal energy for 383 households or around 1,500 people in Nuremberg,” the city wrote on Twitter. In return, the outdoor pool season will be extended.
public infrastructure
Many municipalities want to set a good example and “are leaving out the lights, forgoing hot water in public buildings, turning off fountains,” says Verena Göppert from the German Association of Cities. Oldenburg in Lower Saxony has drawn up a 30-point plan to save gas – traffic lights and street lamps stay off at night. In addition, fewer natural gas buses are to be used. In the Bavarian city of Augsburg, facade lighting is largely dispensed with, and some fountains are switched off. Berlin’s Governing Mayor Franziska Giffey advocates no longer illuminating sights such as the Brandenburg Gate or the Red City Hall after midnight.
Some institutional bodies have already presented in terms of thrift. The Bundestag Council of Elders has set limits for air conditioning and heating in the premises. The Berlin Senate wants to identify savings potential of at least ten percent by August at the latest. In the state parliament of Rhineland-Palatinate, the temperature is only reduced to 24 instead of 21 degrees. In the Saarland parliament, measures should only take effect in winter – with a reduction in the heating temperature from 22 to 20 degrees.
City Day’s austerity plans also target museums, sports halls and classrooms. Implementation is the responsibility of the individual municipalities. In Hilden, North Rhine-Westphalia, the heating and hot water systems in many schools and gyms will be switched off by the end of September. The Munich public utilities are considering switching off unnecessary ventilation systems, elevators or refrigerators, reports the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”.
The European Commission wants to heat public buildings, offices and commercial buildings up to a maximum of 19 degrees from autumn. Existing rules stipulate that households and hospitals, for example, are prioritized in the event of a gas shortage. If electricity production is at risk, however, countries could put the supply of gas-fired power plants for electricity supply through certain protected consumers, according to the draft emergency plan.
First restrictions for tenants
The debate about where and how to save energy is also reaching private households. In Dippoldiswalde, Saxony, the letter from a housing cooperative caused a stir. It states that the hot water in around 600 apartments will be turned off at certain times of the day and night. The largest German real estate group Vonovia announced that it would reduce the heating temperature of the gas central heating at night. This affects about half of the approximately 490,000 apartments owned by the company. The German Tenants’ Association criticized such measures to the ARD as inadmissible.
Homeoffice
Some institutions are considering whether the home office infrastructure established with the corona pandemic could also benefit energy savings. This is checked, among other things, in the Schwerin Ministry of Finance or for administration buildings in North Rhine-Westphalia. From the private sector, the consumer goods manufacturer Henkel, for example, is considering increasing the number of home offices again in order to reduce the need to regulate the temperature in offices.
recommendations for citizens
The federal government is appealing to all citizens to use less energy and is giving concrete household tips. The room should be aired with the window wide open and the heating turned off. The radiators themselves would need to be bled regularly to keep them working efficiently. It is also recommended to cook with a lid and to use the eco-programs of the washing machine and dishwasher. Federal Minister of Economics Habeck calls for people to do the same and take shorter showers.
heat halls in winter
If the fears are confirmed and there is a gas emergency in winter, the municipalities want to be prepared. For this reason, Ludwigshafen is converting a multi-purpose hall that was used as a vaccination center during the corona pandemic into a warm-up station. The offer is aimed at people who can no longer afford heating. The German Association of Towns and Municipalities also recommends this: “Since nobody can say exactly how dramatic the development will be, consideration should also be given to providing heat islands or warm rooms where older people in particular can stay even in a very cold winter,” said General Manager Gerd Landsberg of “Bild am Sonntag”.
