Europe is going through a difficult time when it has to deal with scorching heat and rapidly rising energy prices at the same time. And these challenges are pushing governments to make some interesting decisions. For example, the Spanish government is on the agenda with the sanctions it has imposed on its citizens regarding the use of air conditioners.
A decree published in the state newspaper recently and scheduled to take effect next week requires that air conditioning be set to 27 degrees Celsius in public places and that their doors remain closed to save money.
These public places include offices, shops, bars, theatres, airports and train stations. The decree will also be issued as a recommendation to all Spanish households. The rules also include maintaining heating at or below 19 degrees Celsius in winter and are said to be in effect until at least November 2023.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who says the country urgently needs to conserve energy, goes even further, encouraging office workers to stay cool without artificial help. And for this, he recommends that employees not wear ties.
Spain is not the first
In fact, this is not the first time we see such sanctions in Spain. Greece and Italy last month announced measures to similarly limit energy use when cooling public buildings, requiring the air conditioning to be set to 27 degrees Celsius or higher, according to a report in The Guardian. France ordered the thermostats of public buildings to be set higher in the summer and lower in the winter, and announced that air-conditioned businesses would be fined €750 if they left their doors open. The German city of Hanover has banned the use of mobile air conditioning units and fan heaters everywhere except hospitals and schools.
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