The cabinet could be drafting a law to force people into using less energy. The economy minister did not rule out the possibility that temperatures permissible in households could also be regulated by law. Earlier, Brussels has also floated a proposal that would prescribe a maximum temperature inside people's homes.

Energy savings to be prescribed by law – Is life still pretty at 18°C?

The German federal government is considering to adopt a law that would force Germans into saving energy. The reason is that Russia has recently cut gas flows to Germany by 60 per cent due the sanctions. Economy Minister Robert Habeck told German public media that

„if storage levels do not increase, we will have to take further measures to save energy, if needed, by law”.

Mr Habeck added that gas storage volumes are currently at 56 per cent, which is above average but not enough. „We can’t enter winter at 56 per cent. The reserves must be full, otherwise we will become very vulnerable,” the minister pointed out. In responding to the question of whether this could imply the lowering of required minimum temperatures in homes, he provided an evasive answer but noted that all options were being considered. With that said, Mr Habeck admitted that lowering the minimum temperature set by law cannot be ruled out. This would penalise those living in rentals in particular and their number is rather high in Germany compared to the rest of Europe. The Association of German Towns and Municipalities agrees with the government’s position.

„Owners of rentals have been so far required to guarantee a room temperature of 20 to 24 degrees. That needs to change. Life is still good at a room temperature of 18 degrees and everyone should be able to make this relatively small sacrifice,”

the head of the association said.

Anton Hofreiter, the economy minister’s party colleague, appears to have adopted the new narrative with record swiftness. The Green Party politician has no objections to living in a cold home in winter. „Saving energy and lowering temperatures are still far better than a complete cutoff,” he told WELT in an interview.

„Chilly homes” a recurring theme, plans are afoot to introduce an energy dictatorship

Based on information obtained by V4NA, our news agency provided details in an earlier article that bureaucrats in Brussels would ban the heating of homes to temperatures above 18°C. With the sanctions imposed on Russia, the European Union is essentially causing harm to itself as solving the heating of buildings will become uncertain in many places, as winter is coming. This will affect not only the population but also factories, plants and other industrial buildings. People were asked to use as little energy as possible. Speaking in Brussles on 8 March, European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans, who is also in charge of the European Green Deal, stressed that

„Europeans can help in the fight against Vladimir Putin by turning down the heating in their homes. Our choices determine how much energy we consume and how strong we are in our reactions against Russia.”

In the meantime, concern is growing in many countries as people fear that they could be left without heating again in the autumn, once the persistent cold weather sets in. 40 per cent of British households said they would not be able to pay their utility bills if there was no improvement. The situation is no better elsewhere in Europe: There have been longer or shorter interruptions of service in the last heating period.

In response to the situation that’s evolved, Brussels has drafted a bill that would call for setting the maximum internal temperature of buildings at 18 degrees Celsius, among other things. The provision would be eerily similar to measures taken in dictatorships. When asked about this, bureaucrats in Brussels did not deny that they stand ready to introduce an energy dictatorship.

There is one EU country that did not wait for the proposal of Brussels bureaucrats. In schools and other public buildings in Italy, it is forbidden to set air conditioners to below 25 degrees Celsius from May. Prime Minister Mario Draghi has ironically called air conditioning an example of what Italians may have to sacrifice in exchange for peace in Ukraine. Moreover, the heating of public buildings in winter should not exceed 19 degrees. The restriction will run until 31 March next year. Violators of the rules can be fined between 500 and 3,000 euros. The measure does not apply to hospitals, but will eventually be extended to private homes.

Sensitisation already under way

Recently, a a growing number of studies and recommendations have been published by various organisations, all claiming that 18 degrees Celsius is the ideal temperature for households. According to an organisation called the Energy Saving Trust, this is precisely the ideal room temperature in winter. An educational article also explains in detail how to use the thermostat to save as much energy as possible in households.

An article by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), which promotes the development of sustainable energy sources states that corridors and bedrooms in houses should be kept at 15-18° C and draws attention to the fact that water should be heated to no more than 65° C.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has also chimed in on the new conservation trend and believes that 18 degrees is appropriate and comfortable in apartments, including even the bedrooms. And an energy efficiency blog recommends that people heat an hour less a day than they usually would. Another such suggestion is to replace cookware with smaller ones – “the smaller the pot, the less the waste”.

Irish Environment Minister Eamon Ryan has outright instructed the public to reduce gas and electricity use in the late afternoon and early evening hours – when people are at home on weekdays. The head of the ministry had previously suggested that people take showers instead of baths and do so for as short a time as possible. Prior to that, he asked motorists to use their vehicles as little as possible to save fuel. If car use is unavoidable, then they should only be driven at low speeds.

‘Everyone knows that the speed of cars affects efficiency, and if you go above a certain speed the cost increases dramatically’. Minister @EamonRyan says, adding that the @SEAI_ie will be providing advice for consumers on reducing energy use in the home | https://t.co/W1UZZUgW2K pic.twitter.com/Bf6MXMHMCk

— RTÉ News (@rtenews) March 9, 2022

The government of Dutch PM Mark Rutte has also launched a campaign calling on people to

“turn down their central heatings and shower less to reduce the country’s dependence on Russian fuel imports amid rising energy costs,” and „to put on a warm coat or sweater, socks and slippers. If you are home, maybe you can set your thermostat one Celsius degree lower,”

Rutte’s government advised.