Germany Cities Plan 'Warm-Up Spaces' in Response to Gas Shortages
Germany already saw its gas supply from Russia significantly
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Cities across Germany are making plans to use sports arenas and exhibition halls as "warm-up spaces" this winter to help citizens who are unable to afford skyrocketing energy costs.
According to Bild newspaper, the nation’s Cities and Municipalities Association has urged local authorities to set aside public spaces to help vulnerable citizens in the colder months.
Germany already saw its gas supply from Russia significantly restricted after it supported sanctions and the war in Ukraine.
“We are currently preparing for all emergency scenarios for autumn and winter,” Jutta Steinruck, the city mayor of Ludwigshafen told Bild.
“Nobody can say exactly how dramatic the developments will be,” said Gerd Landsberg, the head of the Cities and Municipalities Association.
Landberg urged local municipalities to create “heat islands” and “warm rooms, where people can stay, even during a very cold winter.”
Other towns are planning to turn off lights outside public buildings as well as deactivate traffic lights at night to save energy.
As Neon Nettle reported last week, Germany's second-largest town of Hamburg told its residents to prepare for hot-water rationing due to "an acute gas shortage."
Not long after, Germany's largest landlord told tenants that when the heating season starts in autumn, they will only be able to use heat up to 17C (62.6F) between the hours of 11 pm and 6 am.
JUST IN - Vonovia, Germany's largest housing group, begins to throttle its tenants' heating at night to save gas, a spokeswoman said.
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) July 7, 2022
Hundreds of thousands are affected, Berliner Zeitung reports.
Vonovia said the move was intended to save energy and gas use during the current crisis.
The company added that the change won't affect daytime temperatures.
"In tenancy law, there are specifications according to which the landlord must set the heating system so that a minimum temperature of between 20C and 22C is achieved," he said.
"The state could temporarily lower the specifications for landlords," he added.
"We are discussing this with politicians."
They also stated that access to hot water won't be affected, meaning tenants can shower as usual according to The LocalWorkers will make changes to the heating system during routine maintenance which is aimed to save 8% on heating costs.
Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) has set strict legal targets for gas storage as the country scrambles to replenish its energy supply for the winter.
Amid the current Russian war with Ukraine, just 40% of the usual deliveries flow through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline from Russia.
Caps on energy usage or other measures, such as reducing temperatures in apartment complexes, may be ordered at the federal level.
