Europe Braces for a Winter Without Russian Gas

Governments, themselves huge users of energy, are reducing heating, curbing streetlight use and closing municipal swimming pools. In France, where the state operates a third of all buildings, the government plans to cut energy use by two terawatt-hours, the amount used by a midsize city.

Whether the campaigns succeed is far from clear, said Daniel Gros, director of the Centre for European Policy Studies, a European think tank. Because the recommendations are voluntary, there may be little incentive for people to follow suit — especially if governments are subsidizing energy bills.

In countries like Germany, where skyrocketing gas prices have begun to hit consumers, “that is useful in getting them to lower their energy use,” he said. But in countries that are funding part of the bill, “there is zero incentive to save on energy,” he said.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/01/business/europe-energy-crisis.html