Many people in Germany bought fan heaters out of fear of a gas shortage. Fortunately, they were hardly switched on, says the head of the network agency. Because that could have consequences.
According to the Federal Network Agency, the overloading of the power grid due to the massive use of fan heaters is currently not a real danger. “We saw the sales figures for the fan heaters,” said the authority’s president, Klaus Müller, to the “Tagesspiegel” (Monday). “But the good thing is: The devices are not switched on. They are in the basement.”
In November, when it was temporarily cold, people could have had the “stupid and expensive idea of heating with electricity instead of gas. Fortunately, hardly anyone did that,” said Müller. “The threat of a blackout doesn’t worry us too much,” he added.
Bought a fan heater out of concern
In the past few months, consumers had stocked up on fan heaters in large numbers for fear of a gas shortage. However, the natural gas supply via pipeline, especially from Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium, is stable. In addition, the gas storage tanks are well filled for the time being.
Federal Building Minister Klara Geywitz (SPD) called for energy savings to continue despite the low temperatures in Germany. “By now, most of them have certainly turned on the heating, and of course we can see that in the gas consumption,” said Geywitz on the RTL/ntv program “Frühstart”. “What Klaus Müller said applies: Of course we still have to save. But I think most of them will do it on their own.”
Source: Stern
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
