Germany wants to reduce gas usage by 2% with new rules

Germany wants to reduce gas usage by 2% with new rules.

As Europe struggles with a severe decline in Russian gas supply, Germany makes new rules to reduce gas use by 2%. Government officials said they call for rigorous cuts by public and private customers on Friday.

Robert Habeck, the minister of the economy, said last week that the state would mandate certain energy-saving measures, such as only heating public buildings to a maximum of 19 degrees Celsius (66.2 degrees Fahrenheit).

The new regulations say large halls or hallways shouldn’t be heated outside hospitals or care facilities. Ministry officials told Reuters. Private pools should no longer be heated, and lighting for monuments and buildings should be turned off to save energy.

Additionally, all illuminated ads should be switched off daily from 2200 to 0600.

In Germany, 13% of the country’s power comes from fossil fuels, and around half of all homes depend on gas for heating. Another third of the energy used in manufacturing comes from gas. Half of the gas has come from Russia in recent years.

To get through the winter without resorting to gas rationing, Germany has to cut its gas use by 20% from what it was before the crisis brought on by a dispute with Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

Savings in the housing and industrial sectors are anticipated to cut consumption by 5–10%, while substituting coal-fired power plants with gas-fired ones is expected to cut consumption by another 3–5%. High gas costs have already caused consumption to decline by up to 8%.

Germany will depend on LNG terminals and gas storage facilities to get through the chilly winter months when gas consumption often increases.