In order to prevent a gas shortage in winter, as much energy as possible must be saved now. After the federal government and the EU have been appealing for some time, Bavaria’s cabinet now has an austerity plan.
Munich (dpa/lby) – Less air conditioning, less heating in offices, no outdoor lighting on state buildings: As suggested by the EU Commission, the Bavarian state government also wants to reduce its energy consumption by 15 percent between August and the end of March. To this end, the cabinet passed a five-point program on Tuesday, with which the ministries and the authorities subordinate to them intend to significantly reduce the consumption of gas and electricity.
Further savings could be possible for areas in public buildings that are not used for permanent residence (traffic and technical areas), whereby damage or frost damage in unheated areas should be avoided. Offices should be heated to a maximum of 20 degrees. Technical systems are also to be optimized for more economical energy consumption, for example when used on weekends and at night. In addition, there should only be cold water in sanitary areas, and business trips should be avoided if possible or carried out by public transport. Employees should also be able to work from home.
“The supply situation is very dramatic,” said Building Minister Christian Bernreiter (CSU). In view of the low gas delivery volumes from Russia, gas should no longer have to be used to produce electricity.
“The goal of the savings measures is that the gas storage tanks can already be sufficiently filled for the winter months so that there are no supply bottlenecks during the cold season and, in particular, a regional gas shortage in southern Germany can be avoided,” the State Chancellery justified the step. At the same time, not only should the gas consumption for heat and processes be reduced, but the saving of electrical energy should also be promoted.
Even if the majority of state buildings are supplied with electricity from hydropower, the Free State can also contribute to saving electricity from gas by saving electrical energy, it said. Bernreiter appealed to the municipalities to also take responsibility for energy saving measures.
