Status: 08/23/2022 07:03 a.m
The Energy Saving Ordinance is to come into force on September 1st: Shop windows may then no longer be illuminated at night. The trade warns of the consequences for safety – and emphasizes the will to save energy.
Retail warns against completely switching off all shop lighting in city centers to save energy. “With the shop window lighting, we also ensure safety and social responsibility in the cities, especially in the less frequented time windows at night,” said the general manager of the German Retail Association (HDE), Stefan Genth, the newspapers of the Funke media group.
Saving energy should not come at the expense of security. Retail is already consciously saving energy today, said Genth. “It is particularly effective not to set air conditioning systems so cool in summer and not to turn up the heating so much in winter,” said Genth.
He pointed out that one degree less room temperature when heating saves six percent of energy. With the new regulation of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, it is possible to reduce the temperature in the shops to 19 degrees. Lighting could be switched to LED.
Posters instead of open doors
The HDE announced on Monday that retailers would reduce lighting and that doors should not be permanently open. So that fewer customers do not come into the shop when the shop doors are closed, the retail trade wants to show them with posters: “Doors closed, shop open”. According to the association, retailers can download the posters and print them out themselves. You can also order them from the HDE or pick them up from some state associations.
The Federal Government’s Energy Saving Ordinance is scheduled to come into force on September 1st. According to the draft of the ordinance, retailers are then required not to leave doors and windows open permanently. Shop windows may not be illuminated from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.