The German government has approved a regulation limiting heating in public buildings and banning illuminated billboards to save energy and combat rising energy costs, The Guardian and News.ro reported.

The legislation, which will come into effect in about a week and initially run for six months, requires government offices, from town halls to railway waiting rooms, to be heated to a temperature of no higher than 19 degrees Celsius, and radiators in corridors, lobbies, access rooms and technical turn off the premises.

The rules are part of a national energy-saving effort to reduce dependence of Europe’s largest economy on Russian gas and allay fears that Moscow could cut off access to the Baltic Sea pipeline in winter.

Legislation was also passed to change the priorities of rail transport, giving preference to trains carrying coal and oil over passenger or other freight trains.

Germany still receives only 20% of the usual volume of gas imported from Russia

Economy Minister Robert Habeck said that these measures are fundamental for Germany’s energy security.

“We want to get rid of the vice of importing energy resources from Russia as soon as possible,” he said.

Currently, gas supplies from Russia are 20% of the norm.

According to energy regulations, the facades and monuments of buildings are no longer illuminated for purely aesthetic reasons. The authorities of Berlin and other settlements have already introduced many energy-saving measures.

For example, the lights were turned off near the Brandenburg Gate in the capital a few weeks ago. The regulations also temporarily cancel clauses in leases that guarantee a minimum temperature in buildings.

Additional legislation is expected to be passed in the coming days, which will include technical measures such as mandatory annual inspections of gas-fired buildings to ensure they are running as efficiently as possible.

The German government has adopted new rules for rail transport

The transportation of electricity by freight trains is considered a priority due to the low level of rivers, especially the Rhine, where traffic has recently been hampered. The historic drought that hit Europe this summer has exacerbated the problems facing the German economy.

Only trains carrying military equipment will have priority over those supplying electricity.

Germany provides Ukraine with regular supplies of weapons and plays an important role as a transit point for other countries. A worldwide shortage of freight trains means that older models that have been withdrawn from service must be brought back into service.

That is expected to increase noise levels, temporarily violating noise ordinances, officials say.

People traveling by train have been warned that there could be major disruption to services in the coming months, on top of already chaotic conditions on many routes in the spring and summer, with delays, cancellations and shortages of drivers and engineers.

Habek and Chancellor Olaf Scholz have just returned from a three-day visit to Canada to secure deals on hydrogen and liquefied natural gas energy production and transport, seen as essential to efforts to wean Europe off Russian fuel.