The Spanish government on Monday adopted limits for air conditioning and heating in shops, cultural venues and transport, in the wake of the European Union’s recent plan to limit imports of Russian gas.
In these places, “the heating must be maintained at a maximum of 19 degrees in winter, and at a minimum of 27 degrees in summer”, announced the Minister for Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, after an extraordinary council of ministers.
These measures will apply “to commercial and cultural spaces, large warehouses (…) and transport infrastructure, such as airports or stations”, she specified.
Lights in store windows and lights in public buildings should also be turned off when not in use.
These measures, which are part of an energy saving plan, will be required within a week.
This package of measures also obliges air-conditioned or heated premises open to the public to close their doors in order to avoid thermal waste, and to revise their thermal installations if this has not been the case since January 2021.
Teleworking will also be encouraged in the private sector when it enables energy savings.
Spain had already taken several measures at the end of May to reduce its energy bill in public buildings, as part of the efforts demanded by Brussels to end European dependence on Russian gas.
Teleworking of civil servants is thus already encouraged in order to limit air conditioning in public buildings where the thermostat of air conditioners has already been limited to 27 degrees, and that of radiators to 19 degrees.
In response to the war in Ukraine, the European Commission presented a 210 billion euro plan in mid-May providing for the development of renewable energies and significant energy savings in order to free itself as quickly as possible from imports of Russian gas.
The Twenty-Seven also adopted an agreement last Tuesday by which they undertake to do “everything (their) possible” to reduce their gas consumption by at least 15% between August 2022 and March 2023, compared to the average of the last five years over the same period.