Feeling the Effects of the Energy Crisis

As it has recently gotten colder here in Germany, the energy crisis that the country is facing has been more and more prevalent. Advisories of what people should do in order to help combat the effects have been advertised. Everyone is being told to conserve energy, use less wood, close window, and more. Although, with the COVID-19 pandemic, this looks a little different.

Starting off in schools, due to COVID, all the windows must be opened, although we use heaters to heat the classrooms. This creates a combination of opening the windows for five minutes every twenty minutes. When the windows are open, the heaters must be turned off and when the windows are closed again, the heaters are turned on as hot as they can. As it gets colder, people may bring blankets from home to combat how cold it is, although I think it is still relatively cold. In my school’s larger cafeteria, the door is sometimes open. Many times it is my fellow peers who open it, although teachers may also do this. This causes a lot of heat loss within the school, therefore we are always asked to close it. This is in order to reduce how much energy is being used in the area and to help keep costs down.

In the locker rooms for soccer, you can also see many of these effects. Many clubs have posted to keep showers cooler and for a certain amount of time. The locker rooms may also be cooler, or with only a few being heated at a time. Along with this, the lights on the fields are also a concern, so it is important for coaches or managers to turn them off as soon as everyone is off the field and it is safe to do so.

Within the household, you can also feel the effects. I have a hard time remembering to turn off the bathroom light as it is not inside the bathroom, but right outside of it. I have been told many times to turn it off, which has thankfully gotten better for me. Although, it is important to turn off all the lights in the house. It is also good to make sure your window is not opened for prolonged periods of time, and to keep showers shorter and cooler!