As sanctions on Russia backfire catastrophically with the Kremlin now completely shutting off the NordStream gas pipeline, Irish citizens are being told to prepare for a cold and dark winter.
As the government dedicates more and more resources to housing and caring for tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees with no sign of the flow being stemmed in any way Irish people are being warned that they will have to engage in energy saving and rationing.
Details of a memo which is due to go to the Cabinet on Wednesday suggesting new energy savings measures for the public sector likely to mimic those under consideration in France and Germany.
These include public buildings being heated to a maximum of 19C and the heating may be turned off completely in entrances, corridors and foyers the Irish Times reported.
Ironically, in advice the exact opposite of that given to prevent the spread of Covid, workers in office buildings will be advised not to spread out over different floors to conserve heat.
On Monday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said “we do need now, all of us, to focus in on reducing energy”. He said the Government would separately consider the issue of a windfall tax on energy profits, describing it as “complex”, the Irish Times reports.
It is unclear if the hotels the taxpayers are supporting to house Ukrainian and other refugees will see similar energy saving measures.
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