750 Euro penalty for not Closing the Door: Europe Scrambling to Come up with Countermeasures to Gas Shortage

European countries were worried when Russia stopped sending them gas. To save energy, governments asked people to turn off lights, turn on air conditioners, take cold showers, use less energy and not wear ties.

European countries that rely a lot on Russian gas are doing things to prepare for a possible energy crisis before winter. Gazprom, the company that supplies natural gas to Europe, has reduced the amount of gas it sends by 80%. To make up for this, some countries have decided to use 15% less energy. This means people are taking shorter showers and turning off lights when they don't need them.

Some people in Europe have suggested that citizens should not wear ties and lower the blinds to help with the gas shortages. Europe has come up with solutions to try and fix the problem.

The city of Hannover in Germany has stopped providing hot water in places like public buildings, swimming pools, and gyms. They are also shutting off public fountains to save energy.

Large buildings like town halls and museums will not be lit up at night. Public buildings will not have any heat from April to the end of September each year.

In Berlin, Germany's capital city, 200 monuments and town halls were not lit up Wednesday night because the city turned off the lights to save energy.

At night, some famous historical buildings were lit up, such as the Victory Column in Tiergarten park, the Memorial Church at Breitscheidplatz, and the Jewish Museum.

Bettina Jarasch, the senator for the environment in Berlin, said that it is very important for us to be careful with how we use energy because of the war between Ukraine and Russia and the energy threats from Russia.

In the German state of Lower Saxony, town halls will only be heated from October 1 to March 31, and the temperature inside should not be higher than 20 degrees Celsius. People are not allowed to use fan heaters or portable air conditioners. The Minister of Economy and Climate Protection, Robert Habeck, also asked people to take shorter showers a month ago.

200 buildings in Berlin will not have their lights on at night. The temperature in offices in Baden-Württemberg will be set to 18 degrees and the air conditioner will only be used on very hot days.

France is telling shops with air conditioning to keep their doors closed. If they don't, they will have to pay a fine of 750 euros. Advertising signs that light up will not be allowed between 1am and 6am, except in train stations and airports. If someone does not follow this rule, they will have to pay a fine of 1,500 euros. TVs in public buildings will also be turned off.

In the summer, air conditioners will be set to a minimum temperature of 27 degrees. Window shields will be put up in public buildings. Computers will be turned off when people are done using them.

The government in Ireland is asking people to drive slower to save gas and to be more mindful of how often they use their dishwasher and washing machine.