Nobody should freeze: if gas runs out, apartments and offices can still be heated to a maximum of 20 degrees. The Federal Council’s emergency plan also provides for a heating ban for swimming pools and wellness facilities. The government hopes that such bans will also have an educational effect.
Economy Minister Guy Parmelin presents the Federal Council’s plans for a severe gas shortage.
The Federal Council presents emergency plans and at the same time hopes that these will remain in the drawer. On Wednesday it was about the gas, probably in a week the government wants to inform about the planned crisis management for electricity. The Federal Councilor responsible, Guy Parmelin, was more optimistic than a few weeks ago. “The risk of a gas shortage this winter is relatively low,” the economics minister told the media. Of course, this cannot be completely ruled out. Gas storage facilities in Europe are full, the mild autumn weather and high gas prices have contributed to reduced consumption. Industry has reduced demand by around 20 percent.
The Federal Council’s decision to increase the maximum temperature for apartments and offices from the originally planned 19 to 20 degrees is symbolic of this relaxation. Parmelin primarily advanced technical arguments for this. 20 degrees is easy to set with the thermostats on the radiators by setting the controller to the number 3. However, the room temperature also depends on how the central heating is set. However, the Economics Minister admitted that the comfort at 20 degrees was a little higher. In August it sounded different. At that time it was said that for every degree that the room temperature was lower, you saved up to 10 percent of gas.
According to reports, legal considerations also played a part in the decision. You wanted to be on the safe side legally. The tenancy law does not contain any specific specifications for room temperatures. According to case law, deviations of 3 to 5 degrees from the normal temperature should be considered a defect. With 20 degrees you are probably in the green area. The regulation only applies to apartments that are heated with gas.
Residential and commercial rooms that are not used for more than 24 hours must not be heated at all. However, exceptions are allowed to prevent damage from frost and moisture.
Heat the boiler up to 60 degrees
There is also a specification for the treatment of hot water: gas-fired boilers may be heated to a maximum of 60 degrees when there is a shortage. Higher temperatures are permitted for a short time to combat harmful germs. Together with the reduction in room temperature to 20 degrees, the federal government expects gas savings of 8 to 12 percent. This is where the Federal Council comes in, because 60 percent of Swiss gas consumption is used to heat buildings and hot water. Similar to during the pandemic, the Federal Council would intervene heavily in the private sphere.
The cantons are responsible for monitoring the regulations. They should use random samples to check whether the bans and specifications are being observed, especially in the case of energy-intensive applications such as radiant heaters or saunas. You don’t want a “temperature police”. Those who do not comply with the regulations can be fined or imprisoned for up to three years. The basis for this is the State Supply Act. However, the legislator must have had grosser offenses in mind than not complying with the room temperature specifications when they enacted these penal provisions. Parmelin’s department is examining the possibility of fines by the end of January 2023.
The bans are also intended to have an educational effect. At least that’s what it says in the commentary on the regulation. In addition to the savings themselves, the bans “can be expected to make a significant contribution to public perception of the shortage”. This also makes it obvious and noticeable on an individual level.
No all-clear
Such a severe gas shortage threatens if the winter gets very cold and Russia cuts the last open gas pipelines to the west. Then the Federal Council would put the regulations presented on Wednesday into force. These are not set in stone, Parmelin said. The government reserves the right to make changes at short notice.
In a first step, in the event of a gas shortage, the Federal Council appeals to the population and the economy to cut costs. If this is not sufficient, the Federal Council can order that the systems set up for this purpose in industry be converted from gas to oil operation. This leads to a reduction in gas consumption of 15 to 20 percent. However, according to Parmelin, around half of this potential has already been tapped. Companies have voluntarily switched from gas to oil for cost reasons.
In a third step, the specifications for the room temperature are provided. In addition, the operation of swimming pools, saunas and wellness facilities in general would be prohibited if they run on gas. This affects private individuals, but also hotels. Radiant heaters and heated tents are also prohibited.
The aim of these measures is to prevent a quota, which threatens as a last resort. “Only” the economy would be affected. In addition to private households, hospitals and other health and care facilities are also exempt.
However, depending on the extent of the gas shortage, it could also be that the various measures do not have to be applied one after the other, but at the same time, said Parmelin. In addition to setting quotas, the federal government can also order large consumers to be switched off at short notice. This should save large amounts of gas within 24 hours. Parmelin’s department is examining to what extent the resulting costs can be passed on to all gas consumers.