Germans have to ration hot water

A housing cooperative in Dippoldiswalde, Saxony, is cutting back on hot water heating due to drastically increased energy prices, reports the Bild newspaper, citing a tenant letter from the landlord on Monday.

According to the announcement, there will no longer be hot water around the clock for the 600 apartments of the cooperative, but only at times. Tenants can take hot showers between 4 a.m. and 8 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. and in the evening between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. Cold water runs out of the taps during the night and in between.

“It’s not about upsetting tenants, it’s about adjusting to what we might not be able to pay for next year,” Board member Falk Kuhn-Meisegeier told the German Press Agency and added: “We want tenants to get through this crisis well. Life is expensive enough as it is.”

At the weekend, the head of the environmental department of the city of Hamburg is said to have warned that hot water could be rationed in the city in the event of an acute gas shortage.

DGB boss Yasmin Fahimi added another warning “Entire industries are in danger of collapsing permanently: aluminum, glass, the chemical industry,” because of Russian gas shutdowns.

Last month, Russian energy utility Gazprom announced it was being forced to cut natural gas supplies to Germany via the Nord Stream pipeline by 60% because Siemens turbines at its Portovaya pumping station in Vyborg were stuck in Montreal, where they were being sent for maintenance were. The parts fall under Canada’s sanctions against Russia, and Ottawa says it can’t return them without violating the restrictions.

A complete halt to Russian gas flows would make it extremely difficult for Germany to increase gas stocks to the desired 90% by the onset of winter. The current level is reportedly 61%.

On July 11, Gazprom will close Nord Stream for 10 days for scheduled maintenance. During this time, all gas flows to Germany via the pipeline will be suspended.