New restrictions put in place to save gas include turning off hot water in bathrooms and showers in any building in the city, the Guardian reported on Thursday. “Every kilowatt hour counts and protecting vital infrastructure must be a priority,” said Mayor Belit Onay. Under the rules, municipal buildings will only be heated from early October to late March and only to a maximum of 68 degrees. Some buildings, such as kindergartens, schools and hospitals, are exempt from the rules. In Berlin, the German capital, municipal buildings and monuments were dark on Wednesday night as the city switched off non-essential lighting to save electricity “In the face of the war against Ukraine and Russia’s energy threats it is vital that we handle our energy as carefully as possible,” said Bettina Jarasch, a senator from Berlin. The mayor of Hanover said that “every kilowatt hour counts”, when it comes to saving energy in the face of the expected energy crisis. Michael Matthey/dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images The aim is to meet European Union recommendations that municipalities reduce energy use by 15% – a figure the bloc hopes will allow them to offset the overall loss of Russian gas imports. On Wednesday, Moscow’s state-controlled energy giant Gazprom cut gas flowing through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline – the largest artery for delivering natural gas from Russia to Central Europe – to just 20% of total capacity. . Berlin’s cathedral was in darkness on July 27 as German officials ordered buildings and landmarks across the city to turn off in an effort to save energy. Omer Messinger/Getty Images Gazprom blamed technical difficulties, but Western leaders saw it as a concession – the latest in a standoff over Western economic sanctions and military aid to Ukraine. Many fear the Kremlin could cut off gas exports altogether in the face of a winter surge in European demand. “Natural gas is now part of Russian foreign policy and possibly Russian war strategy,” German gas regulator Klaus Mueller told Deutschlandfunk radio. Imports from Russia account for a third of Germany’s natural gas supply. With Post cables
