Reuters: Germany passes law to make energy savings compulsory
Germany passes law to make energy savings compulsory
By Riham Alkousaa and Christian Kraemer
September 21, 202312:57 PM EDT
BERLIN, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Germany's lower house of parliament on Thursday passed a bill to make saving energy compulsory in all economic sectors, a move intended to help fight climate change and curb use of imported fossil fuels.
The Energy Efficiency Act, introduced by the Greens-led economy ministry, includes regulation for energy savings in public buildings, industry and fast-growing data centres across Germany, with the goal of a 26.5% cut by 2030 from 2008.
Spurred by fears that persistently low Russian gas supplies could lead to shortages, the German government introduced some initial energy-saving measures last year, including banning heating for private swimming pools and encouraging people to work from home.
With the new law, companies will be forced to draw up plans for energy savings but there will not be binding measures, said a spokesperson for the German Energy Efficiency Initiative, a network of companies that has been pushing for an ambitious energy efficiency policy.