Germany approves limit on heating public buildings to save energy

theguardian.com:

Germany’s government has approved a bylaw restricting the heating of public buildings and banning illuminated advertising hoardings, in an effort to save energy and tackle soaring energy costs.

The legislation, which will come into force in just over a week’s time and will initially remain in place for six months, will mean that public buildings ranging from town halls to railway waiting rooms may not be heated to warmer than 19C, and that radiators in corridors, foyers, entranceways and technical rooms must be turned off.

The moves are part of a national effort to save on energy to reduce the dependency of Europe’s largest economy on Russian gas, and more immediately to deal with concerns that Moscow may choose to cut off access to its Baltic Sea pipeline during the winter.

Legislation was also passed for a reprioritisation of transport on the railways, giving trains carrying coal and oil a precedence over passenger or other goods trains.

Robert Habeck, the minister for the economy, said the measures were central to German energy security. “We want to free ourselves as quickly as possible from the vice of Russian energy imports,” he said.

Currently, supplies of gas from Russia are running at 20% of normal levels.

As part of the energy regulations, building facades and monuments will no longer be lit up for purely aesthetic reasons. Authorities in Berline and elsewhere have already implemented many energy-saving measures: the Brandenburg Gate in the capital had its lights turned off several weeks ago.

The regulations will also temporarily override clauses in rental contracts guaranteeing a minimum temperature in buildings. Further legislation is expected in the coming days, to include technical measures such as an obligatory