Churches stay cold in winter – Archdiocese with urgent appeal
Due to the prevailing energy crisis, the churches in Cologne were also recommended not to heat this winter. What measures are still to come for Cologne?
Cologne – The Ukraine war and the resulting energy crisis are also being felt by the churches in Cologne. The Archdiocese of Cologne has now recommended that the churches not heat this winter in order to save on energy costs.
“It is clear to us that services and events in the churches will be less comfortable as a result, some formats may no longer be possible and there will also be groups of users who may be prevented from visiting the churches as a result,” says a circular to the parishes, which the Archdiocese published on Wednesday.
This is not the first austerity measure in Cologne. Previously, it had already been decided to switch off the lighting of certain buildings, such as Cologne Cathedral, at night. Because of the energy crisis, the ice rink at Ebertplatz is also on the verge of collapse.
Cologne: Churches should not heat because of the energy crisis
The Archdiocese of Cologne also recommends that the parishes save energy. I am Letter “Energy & Church” the Archdiocese has compiled information and recommendations on the subject of saving energy in churches and municipal buildings. One of the most urgent recommendations is to exclude church heating in the coming months, according to the letter to the pastors, employees and employees of the Cologne churches. That would also affect the Cologne Cathedral.
According to the Archdiocese of Cologne, churches and chapels are currently heated with gas and oil-fired warm-air heaters. These heaters use fossil fuels and therefore have a high energy consumption.
The churches could therefore save immense heating costs here and help people in need with part of the money saved. “Against this background, we see it as an act of necessary solidarity in that we as a church are clearly committed to saving energy and, if possible, also allowing the saved funds to benefit people on the fringes of our society,” the archdiocese’s letter explains .
Energy crisis in Cologne: Stadtwerk further savings measures
The energy crisis is also making itself felt in other parts of Cologne. Mayor Henriette Reker recently appealed to the people of Cologne to save energy in order to prevent a possible emergency in the coming winter months. The city of Cologne has also developed a concept to save energy in recent months. Among other things, these steps are already being implemented:
- Street lighting is dimmed down to 50 percent from 11 p.m., switched on later and switched off earlier
- Buildings such as Cologne Cathedral remain dark at night (from 11 p.m. and in autumn from 10 p.m.)
- The lighting of the pylons at the RheinEnergie Stadium will be switched off
- The municipal offices should be allowed to be heated to a maximum of 19 degrees
Savings measures due to the energy crisis: Direct effects also on the people of Cologne
These measures will primarily affect the citizens: Among other things, the lighting on the streets at 11 p.m. is to be reduced to 50 percent. Employees of the city of Cologne also have to be prepared for lower temperatures in the office – the heating can be up to a maximum of 19 degrees.
However, many citizens in Cologne are not very enthusiastic about this: “Maximum 19 degrees in winter in the office. Well then, I’m curious to see how many ‘yellow’ bills will arrive at employers in the future due to illness, ‘cold/flu’,” writes a user, among other things, in the comment column of Henriette Reker’s Facebook post, in which the mayor also refers to the austerity measures of the city refers. (spo) Fair and independent information, what happened in Germany and NRW – subscribe to our free 24RHEIN newsletter here.