Against the backdrop of the Ukraine crisis, significant restrictions in gas supplies threaten – a problem that affects all of Europe. Mayor Dr. Ulli Meyer is particularly concerned about St. Ingbert and calls craftsmen, guilds, municipal utilities, and other stakeholders to come together at one table to discuss the situation from different perspectives and find possible solutions.
The outlook is not rosy, as Jürgen Bach, managing director of the Biosphere Municipal Utilities St. Ingbert, predicts. Customers will soon be informed about the inevitable and significant increase in advance payments for electricity and gas supplies because "the costs per kilowatt-hour have risen sharply. We want and must prevent customers from having to make huge repayments at the end of the year."
The message is clear: save wherever possible and reduce consumption. Only in this way can the impending cost explosion for households remain bearable. But no one can sit in the dark or cold. For this purpose, district chimney sweeps Marcus Petry and state guild master Eric Scherer have an important tip: every household should check or have their appliances checked. Does the old freezer consume too much electricity? Can the refrigerator be set one degree higher to reduce consumption? Is it necessary to use the dryer, or can the laundry be air-dried? And above all: how can the settings on the gas heating system be optimized to consume less gas? Or perhaps a new heating system should be considered? For these and other questions, the responsible chimney sweep, energy consultant, or heating installer can provide advice. It is an offer that citizens should definitely take advantage of.
Unfortunately, problems are also arising in the field of energy consulting and heating installation. On the one hand, there is a lack of competent and certified consultants to meet the high demand for advice; on the other hand, heating installers are confronted with material shortages, a shortage of skilled workers, and funding measures that have been cut or restricted by the federal government, as Stephan Leidinger from the installation company REGI GmbH reports. He has already prepared his employees for a very high demand from citizens, "but we simply lack the capacity to answer every individual question, advise everyone, and install heating systems at the same time," he explains.
Nico Ganster, chairman of the Association of Trade and Commerce St. Ingbert e.V. (HGSI), fears that many smaller businesses will not be able to bear the high energy costs. A concern that also troubles Ulli Meyer and the employees of the city administration, not only for businesses but also for citizens already living at the subsistence level. "This winter, but also in the next two to three years, we are facing an epochal crisis that we have not experienced for a long time," says the mayor. "But we want to prepare well. Together and in small steps, we will overcome it, I am sure of that."
Possible measures
As a preventive measure, citizens are therefore strongly advised to check their electricity and gas consumption and reduce it as much as possible. Only in this way can they save costs. Furthermore, the mayor is considering, together with Bernd Wegner, the president of the Saarland Chamber of Crafts, reactivating retired energy consultants who are still familiar with newer technologies. It is important, according to the mayor, that citizens receive good advisory services. The city is also currently planning to set up warming centers for the worst-case scenario. "Because above all, we must not leave people who cannot afford the high energy costs out in the cold," Meyer emphasizes. Purchasing electric heaters is currently not quite easy, as demand is very high. However, according to Jürgen Bach from the municipal utilities, concerns about an overload of the power grid in St. Ingbert are unfounded. The power supply is secure even with a larger number of electrical devices. Craftsmen with high energy needs are also recommended a tool with which they can check their energy consumption. At www.energie-tool.de, they receive helpful information and support for energy-saving measures from the Saarbrücken Saar-Lor-Lux Environmental Center of the Saarland Chamber of Crafts.
