The European Parliament turns down the heating to save energy

by Kate Abnett

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Parliament will cut the heating in its buildings three days a week and adjust the temperature on other days to save energy, as part of efforts to avoid shortages this winter.

Heating and air conditioning in buildings will be off from Thursday evening to Monday morning, as well as during holiday periods, according to an internal email seen by Reuters.

“MPs and staff can still work in the buildings, but the temperature in offices will be reduced on those days,” the document said.

Parliament does not usually meet on Fridays, when many MPs return to their constituencies.

So far, building heating has been reduced, but not turned off, over the weekend.

Buildings in Brussels and Strasbourg will thus limit their heating to 19 degrees Celsius and air conditioning to 25 degrees Celsius, the email says, a measure which will come into effect immediately and which is expected to save more than 2 million euros per year, according to Parliament’s estimates.

While most committee activities take place in Brussels, the European Parliament officially sits in Strasbourg, where its members travel to attend plenary sessions 12 times a year.

These trips are strongly criticized by some MEPs because of the energy consumption they involve.

Two German MPs, Green Daniel Freund and Conservative Peter Liese, have called for a temporary suspension of travel to Strasbourg due to the energy context, but Parliament has so far resisted these calls.

(Reporting Kate Abnett, with Philip Blenkinsop; French version Diana Mandiá, editing by Kate Entringer)