Government says it will launch 'major efficiency programme' soon

The German government has announced a comprehensive programme for energy savings as part of its push to reduce Germany's dependence on fossil fuel imports. "As the federal government, we will soon launch a major efficiency programme," said economics and climate minister Robert Habeck, according to a report by newswire dpa. "Every kilowatt-hour that is neither burned nor consumed is the one that helps us most at the moment," Habeck said, following talks with representatives of municipal associations. He said municipalities are awaiting the energy transition in the heating sector and added recycling must also be stepped up. "The one thing we should erase from our vocabulary is the word 'rubbish'. These are raw materials in the future." Habeck said this also applied to waste heat or wastewater heat, adding the use of solar thermal energy and biomass must also increase. He said renovating houses would save energy, and heating systems powered by gas should no longer be installed in new houses. "This should be a thing of the past."

The war in Ukraine forces Germany to radically rethink its energy policy, given that the country is heavily dependent on Russian fossil fuels. The country has put the contentious Nord Stream 2 pipeline project on hold and has pledged to speed up the shift to renewables.