The historic Royal Palace in Madrid’s old town has been plunged into darkness. Outsider lighting One of the Spanish capital’s most famous landmarks has disappeared, as has the magnificent façade of the Teatro Real, Madrid’s famous opera house. Decision of the Spanish coalition government of the Social Democrats and the leftist Podemos party on consumption electricity this is already being felt at the national level, according to Deutsche Welle. According to grid operator Red Electrica, the demand for electricity in the country fell by an average of 5% in the first few days compared to the previous week. From August 10, when the plan went into effect energy saving Spain, across the country, millions of lights stay on at night. And this applies not only to the external lighting of thousands of public buildings in Spain – shop windows in more than 900,000 stores must also turn off the lights from 22:00. Of course, due to high electricity prices, many shop owners have already taken appropriate measures voluntarily before the official decision. Now, of course, it has become mandatory.

The Spanish plan does more than just turn off the lights in shop windows and stores. Restrictions were also placed on air conditioning in public buildings, office space, offices and airports. “A reduction of just one degree means a consumption saving of 7%,” says Environment and Energy Minister Teresa Ribera. Therefore, in the summer months, air conditioners can cool up to 27 degrees. However, there are exceptions to this rule, such as, for example, restaurants and bars that allow air conditioning at 25 degrees. Exceptions also exist for hairdressers, gyms and other facilities where sporting events are held, as well as for hotels.

In winter, heating in all public areas will be limited to 19 degrees. In addition, to avoid wasting energy, front doors can no longer be left open when air conditioning or heating is on, as is the practice in many stores, DW reports. The concrete decision is the first measure taken by Social Democrat Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to implement the EU’s emergency plan. for natural gas. This plan requires 27 Member States to reduce their natural gas consumption. Most countries agreed to a 15 percent reduction. Finally, for Spain, which is much less dependent on Russian natural gas than, for example, Germany, 7% was agreed.