France launches "sobriety" energy savings drive to avoid winter power cuts
Homes and offices heated to a maximum of 19°C; no hot water in public buildings; no lit advertising overnight; a ban on doors left open in heated or air-conditioned shops; reduced temperatures in swimming pools and gyms: these are some examples of the action France is taking to save energy.
The government has unveiled "15 flagship" measures as part of an energy efficiency plan to get through the winter without blackouts — and also prepare the country for much greater long-term savings to face up to the climate emergency.
Agnès Pannier-Runacher, the energy transition minister, called for a "general mobilisation" of the whole country to achieve a "10% reduction in energy consumption" in two years' time, compared to 2019.
She described it as a "first step" towards achieving a 40% cut by 2050 recommended by climate experts for the country to become carbon neutral.
The measures cover the likes of public services, businesses, housing, transport, and sports facilities. They call for less heating and lighting, encourage more remote working where it is energy-efficient, and introduce incentives for carpooling.
The centrepiece of what's being called the "sobriety plan" is the 19°C indoor temperature recommendation, which has actually been part of the energy code since 1978.
"There is no obligation in the sense that there will be no temperature police", the minister said, calling also for the start and end of the winter heating period to be adjusted by a fortnight.
That brought a warning from the campaign group Réseau Action Climat (Climate Action Network) against the ineffectiveness of unenforced, voluntary measures. The government replied that it would monitor weekly gas and electricity consumption.
Conscious of the need to set an
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