Cold showers, dark monuments, fountains turned off: How Germany is conserving energy amid Russian gas crisis

As the Russian gas crisis deepens, Germany cities have decided to cut down their energy consumption by switching off spotlights on public monuments, turning off fountains and running cold showers in public swimming pools.

Countries across Europe are looking at ways to cut down on their energy consumption as supplies from Russia have simmered down, according to a Reuters report.

However, being the country that is most heavily dependent on Russian gas, Germany is leading the way to launch a nationwide campaign to save energy so that it can sustain itself through the winter.

Around 200 buildings and landmarks including Berlin’s red-bricked city house, State Opera House and Chalottenburg Palace will be not be lit at night, according to a France 24 report.

Berlin’s chief official for the environment, Bettina Jarasch said “Given the war against Ukraine and the energy policy threats by Russia, it's important that we be as careful as possible with our energy.”

Germany’s president Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that he wants to set an example by keeping the lights off at his official residence, Bellevue Palace.

Let’s take a closer look at what exactly is happening in Germany.

Why is Germany saving energy?

On Monday, the Russian energy giant Gazprom announced that it will restrict the flow of gas supply to Germany. The company said it will slash supplies via the Nord Stream pipeline by 33 million cubic metres a day. This comes after the company resumed its services last week after 10 days of maintenance work.

Gazprom said that operations are halted due to “technical condition of the engine.” However, the German Economy Ministry refuted this explanation, saying that there is “no technical reason for a reduction of deliveries,” according to an Al Jazeera report.

Also Read: Russia's key pipeline restarts pumping gas to Germany: The significance of Nord Stream 1

Germany’s energy regulator, Klaus Mueller said that gas flow has dropped from 40 per cent to 20 per cent.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has for weeks called for a nationwide effort to conserve energy as the country battles with soaring prices ever since Russia invaded Ukraine.

In an effort to save energy companies from going bankrupt, the German government announced that a gas surcharge that is levied on customers could get much higher than it already is, according to The Guardian.

In addition to this, German officials have also warned that Russia can completely cut off supplies this winter in retaliation to Western sanctions that were imposed on the country for invading Ukraine.

What is Germany’s energy emergency plan?

Germany’s Economy Ministry has devised a three-tier emergency gas plan to reduce energy consumption.

According to Reuters, half of Germany’s household depends on gas for heating and around 13 per cent of the country’s electricity is derived from fossil fuel.

Germany imports most of its gas from Russia. The imported gas is used to heat homes and power its industries.

The emergency gas plan has three phases — the early warning phase, the alarm phase and the emergency phase. Last month, Germany initiated the second phase after Russia reduced supplies via Nord Stream 1 pipeline.

Also Read: How EU plans to reduce gas use by 15% amid threat of Russia cutting off supply

How is the country saving its energy?

Over the week, Germany has ramped up efforts to conserve energy. The city of Munich announced that the spotlights on its town hall will be switched off. Municipal offices in the city will only have cold water and fountains will also be turned off at night.

Among other energy efforts, the country is also planning to reduce the usage of air conditioning and will encourage people to use public transport.

According to France 24, an electrical firm in Germany will shut off 100-120 lights per day.

The city of Augsburg has reduced temperatures in public pools. Officials are also looking at ways to shut down some of the city's traffic lights.

According to a Reuters report, the Economy Ministry has launched a campaign urging its citizens to take shorter showers, increase their refrigerator’s temperature by one degree and keep their homes well insulated.

With inputs from agencies

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