Officials will cut off hot water in public buildings, swimming pools, sports halls and gyms. Other gas-saving measures include turning off public fountains and turning off lighting in large buildings such as city hall at night. Mayor Belit Onay tweeted: “The goal is to reduce energy consumption by 15%. “This is a reaction to the impending gas shortage, which is a big challenge for municipalities – especially for a big city like Hanover.” Other measures introduced include: • Reducing the times when the heating will be on in municipal buildings from October to March – excluding kindergartens • Limiting the room temperature to a maximum of 20 C and 15 C in sports halls and gyms • Converting all light bulbs to LEDs • Installing detectors movement of permanent lighting in toilet facilities, bicycle sheds and parking areas and corridors • Prohibition of portable air conditioners, air heaters or radiators City officials have also been urged to reduce the use of certain electrical appliances such as printers and refrigerators. And there has also been increased awareness of the ‘economic behavior of heating and ventilation’. Image: The city aims to reduce energy consumption by 15%. Photo: Harald Helmlechner Other cities such as Munich, Leipzig, Cologne and Nuremberg have taken similar measures. These measures come after Russia reduced the flow of natural gas through the Nord Stream pipeline to just 20% of capacity. The move, blamed by state-owned Gazprom on maintenance delays, has fueled fears that Europe’s reliance on Russian gas is being used as a weapon by the Kremlin in retaliation for Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine. Read more: Concern over energy-saving measures in Germany as dependence on Russian gas feels the bite Energy bills could hit £500 for January alone, experts warn UK gas costs are rising due to supply crisis in Europe and the market expert predicts worse Economists have warned that a recession is inevitable if major users of Russian gas, including Europe’s biggest economy, Germany, have to take emergency measures to ration supplies. Berlin has accused the Russian government of a “power play” through its management of Nord Stream 1. The gas price situation, after all, threatens to exacerbate the cost of living crisis across Europe.
