Gas shortage looms: for the old and the poor: the first cities are preparing heating halls for the winter

In view of the gas crisis, the German Association of Cities recommended forward-looking measures. Cities and municipalities should think about heat halls and heat islands for the winter. In Rhineland-Palatinate, for example, this is already being done.

In view of the impending gas shortage and high energy prices, the Association of Towns and Municipalities is bringing the establishment of heating rooms into play. “Since nobody can say exactly how dramatic the development will be, consideration should also be given to providing heat islands or warm rooms where older people in particular can stay even in a very cold winter,” said managing director Gerd Landsberg of “Bild am Sonntag”.

The first cities are already planning such halls. In Ludwigshafen (Rhineland-Palatinate), for example, the Friedrich-Ebert-Halle will serve as the central warm-up station. This was used as a vaccination center at the height of the corona pandemic and is now to be prepared accordingly. “We are currently preparing for all emergency scenarios with a view to autumn and winter,” said Mayor Jutta Steinruck (59, SPD) in the “Bild”.

In Rhineland-Palatinate, Neustadt, Frankenthal and Landau are also planning heat islands, i.e. places where you can warm up for a short time.

There is an easy way to reduce electricity and gas costs. Comparing gas and electricity prices is extremely straightforward.

Municipalities throughout Germany are also already switching off traffic lights or air conditioning systems in rooms that are not urgently needed. Many indoor pools are also to be closed, for example in Nuremberg.

Read here: With a moratorium: Lemke wants to protect consumers from electricity and gas locks

City council president Markus Lewe told the newspaper of the Funke media group: “We all have to save every kilowatt hour that is possible now. The cities don’t leave out any area either: retrofit street lighting more quickly and reduce it at night, less hot water in public buildings, run air conditioning systems for shorter periods and adjust heating better.”