“National effort”: This energy saving regulation applies from today

“National Effort”
This Energy Saving Ordinance applies from today

Consumers and companies are called upon to save energy. “Every contribution counts,” said Economics Minister Habeck. Two ordinances make a number of steps binding. One of them comes into effect today.

Germany’s companies and consumers should save energy. According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, this makes a significant contribution to ensuring security of supply. To this end, the federal government has approved two regulations by department head Robert Habeck. “We are facing a national effort, and it requires strong interaction between the state, business and society, the federal, state, local authorities, social partners, trade unions, trade and associations as well as civil society. Every contribution counts,” said the minister.

“According to the current status, Germany has to save around 20 percent gas in order to avert a gas shortage,” it said in the draft regulations. So far it has been between five and eight percent, it said, citing figures from the Federal Network Agency.

A reduction in the room temperature in residential buildings and workplaces by an average of two degrees would reduce gas consumption by around three percent, it was said. In its ordinance – specifically in the short-term energy supply security measures ordinance (EnSikuMaV) – the ministry assumes that there will be around 15.5 million households nationwide with a natural gas connection and almost 3.2 million households with a district heating supply.

Among other things, the following are planned for consumers:

  • Tenants are exempt from the obligation contained in some leases to heat their homes to a certain minimum temperature. The regulation applies until the end of February.
  • Indoor and outdoor gas and electric heated private pools are no longer allowed to be heated. There are exceptions for commercial use.
  • Gas suppliers and owners of larger residential buildings must inform their customers or tenants at the latest at the beginning of the heating season about the expected energy consumption, the costs and possible savings.

The following requirements should apply to the public sector:

  • In public properties, rooms should be heated to a maximum of 19 degrees. So far, the recommendation is 20 degrees. Hospitals, nursing homes and social facilities are excluded.
  • Rooms in which nobody is regularly present – corridors, large halls, foyers or technical rooms – are no longer heated if the safety requirements allow it.
  • Boilers and instantaneous water heaters – i.e. public drinking water heating systems – are no longer used as long as the respective hygiene regulations allow it. Medical facilities, schools, day care centers and some social facilities are again excluded.
  • Buildings or monuments are no longer illuminated if this is only for representative or aesthetic reasons. This does not apply to short-term lighting at cultural events and folk festivals, as well as all cases in which lighting is required to maintain road safety or to ward off other hazards.

Companies must observe the following rules

  • Advertising systems should not be illuminated between 10 p.m. and 4 p.m. The regulation does not apply to bus stops and railway underpasses – for reasons of operational safety and public order.
  • Heated shops and businesses must not keep their doors open at all times unless this is necessary to function as an escape route.
  • Depending on the type of activity, work rooms may be heated to a maximum of 19 degrees Celsius. Medical and social facilities as well as day-care centers and schools are also excluded here.

This catalog of individual measures comes into force on September 1st and is limited to six months – i.e. until February 28th.

According to the ministry, a second appointment includes measures that require more time to be implemented. But they also have an effect beyond the coming heating period. The ordinance is scheduled to come into force on October 1. The Bundesrat must first agree to this.

Public, private and corporate buildings

  • Building owners must have their gas heating systems checked within the next two years.
  • If large buildings have a central heat supply based on natural gas, the owners must carry out a hydraulic balance. The regulation applies to companies and public buildings with more than 1000 square meters of floor space and buildings with at least six apartments.

company

  • Companies that consume at least ten gigawatt hours (GWh) per year must implement energy efficiency measures. The conversion of the lighting to LED, the optimization of work processes and technical systems are conceivable.
  • Companies are also obliged to carry out the hydraulic balancing and to replace inefficient heating pumps.

According to reports, the ministry expects industry and the residential/office sector to achieve five to ten percentage points of the savings target of 20 percent. About three to five points would be added by reduced gas power generation.

The regulation sees the ministry as one of four areas to ensure security of supply. This includes setting up an infrastructure for liquid gas deliveries (LNG terminals), filling gas storage facilities and maintaining the gas market.

Overall, according to Economics Minister Habeck, Germany is prepared for the winter. The gas tanks are now well filled. This gas is not withdrawn from the market, but is available in winter. The German storage is almost 85 percent full, tweeted the head of the Federal Network Agency, Klaus Müller. In addition, there are new terminals for liquid gas and, thanks to Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway and soon France, gas is flowing.

Russia has drastically reduced its deliveries to Europe in several steps. It claims technical reasons for doing so. In the end, only 20 percent of the previous amount reached Germany through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. Experts see this as a reaction to the massive sanctions imposed as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Currently, delivery is completely suspended for three-day maintenance.

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