Consumption restrictions are already being introduced in the region, and Hungary is no exception
Central Europe is sensitively affected by the conflict with Russia, which has been going on since the end of last year: Gazprom initially limited gas exports because it wanted to extort the start of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, while the Russian-Ukrainian war has been affecting the gas markets since February. The region is especially dependent on Russian energy carriers – Hungary gets more than 90 percent of its oil, natural gas and nuclear heating elements from here – so consumption restrictions began in the region for the first time.
The Czech government has announced that it is phasing out light bulbs in government offices and replacing the remaining old light bulbs with LED bulbs that use less energy. He installed motion detectors to reduce lighting in corridors and turned off floodlights in 19th-century buildings in downtown Prague, reports the Reuters.
The heating – which is usually around 22 degrees Celsius or even hotter in Czech offices – will be reduced to 19-20 degrees Celsius in the government building, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said. the corridors of the offices are always heated to only 15 degrees Celsius.
“First of all, I will put pressure on state institutions to set an example. It accepts a package of measures that can be used to reduce energy consumption by 17 to 20 percent,” says Fiala.
The president’s office said it would turn down the heating and turn off the floodlights at 10 p.m. instead of midnight in the iconic Prague Castle and Cathedral, and the industry ministry reduced the number of refrigerators in use, among other things.
the government led by Viktor Orbán ordered that state institutions and state-owned companies – with the exception of hospitals and social institutions – reduce gas consumption by 25% compared to the previous year in Hungary.
All this means that public institutions will only be able to be heated to 18 degrees. Initially, this would also have applied to educational institutions, but it is expected that the threshold will be raised to 20 degrees in consideration of younger children.
in all of Hungary already in the summer the overhead reduction, which affects not only the population but also small and medium-sized enterprises. Since August, the subsidized price is valid only up to the average consumption, after which the market price must be paid.
in Romania and in Poland there is no decorative lighting either
The lights will also go out in the Romanian Parliament Palace, which is the second largest building in the world after the American Pentagon, the parliament announced at the beginning of the month. Outdoor lighting will be cut in half and festive lighting will be reduced to two hours per night.
On the 10th, the Polish government instructed its various branches to reduce consumption. The decorative lighting of the monuments is also reduced in Warsaw and Krakow.
In Poland, on the other hand, an important restriction is that after work, officials must turn off their computers and unplug their machine and mobile chargers, and they can only print the necessary documents. In the Ministry of Finance, the fountain was turned off and the lighting of the building was limited to only two hours.
Warsaw about 38 0 light bulbs in street lights to LEDs.
These savings, as well as various national cost caps and support measures, may not always be sufficient in places where natural gas is the main source of heating or cooling.
In the region, it is expected that universities and sports clubs will also be obliged to save energy.