France still imposes mandatory energy savings with fines
The French government will further restrict the use of lighting in shops and commercial properties and fine violators as part of a new set of energy-saving measures.
France and all other European countries are trying to reduce energy and gas consumption after last year's energy crisis and the surge in electricity and natural gas prices following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
With measures just announced this week, France will further limit the hours in which shop windows and commercial properties can be lit, Energy Transition Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher told L'Alsace newspaper this week.
Companies violating the new rules could face fines of 1,500 euros, the minister said.
To encourage smart energy use and greater cycling for work trips, France is also subsidizing up to 80% of the price of smart digital thermostats for homes and introducing tax breaks for companies that encourage employees to go to work by bicycle.
France has already seen a 12% drop in the use of electricity and natural gas compared to levels before the energy crisis, the minister said, adding that he hoped the lower energy consumption could become structural.
Compared to last year, Europe is currently in a better position heading into winter, with gas storage sites nearly full ahead of the November 1st deadline, more LNG imports and more LNG import terminals.
However, a colder-than-usual winter could put energy supplies under strain again. Last winter was mild and it remains to be seen how Europe would handle a cold winter without Russian gas.
In Germany, Europe's largest economy after France, gas supply disruptions remain a risk, the CEO of Germany's largest utility, RWE, said earlier this month.
“We don't have any reserves in the gas system,” Markus Krebber, RWE's chief executive, told German magazine WirtschaftsWoche in early October, adding that Europe's largest economy must accelerate the construction of gas import infrastructure to avoid future shortages.
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This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/la-francia-impone-ancora-risparmi-energetici-obbligatori-a-suon-di-multe/ on Sat, 14 Oct 2023 08:00:30 +0000.