The city of Graz has already announced the conditional ban on the operation of so-called heating pads and other outdoor heating devices. However, this only applies under certain circumstances. In the city senate meeting on Friday, only city councilor Claudia Schönbacher from the “(Corruption) Free Municipal Council Club” voted against the new regulation. Criticism also came from the FPÖ, which is not represented in the city senate.
The regulation stipulates that from next year such devices may no longer be put into operation in public spaces when the so-called energy early warning level of the federal government is in force and the alarm level for energy-saving measures also applies in Graz. The spokeswoman for the responsible deputy mayor, Judith Schwentner (Greens), assured that the ban’s effectiveness is currently not foreseeable. Notes were missing on the city’s homepage entry into force of the ban, in addition to the federal government’s early warning stage, activation of the alert stage for energy-saving measures by the city of Graz is also a prerequisite. This initially caused confusion. At the end of September, the energy cost subsidy for companies was linked at the federal level to the switching off of heating pads in guest gardens and shop lighting, among other things. There is therefore no conditional, direct ban at federal level.
source site-12