BERLIN (AP) 鈥� Germans are using too much gas to avoid a potential energy 鈥渆mergency鈥� this winter, the head of Germany鈥檚 national network regulator warned Thursday.
鈥淕as consumption increased by too much last week,鈥� said Klaus Mueller, head of Germany鈥檚 network agency.
With the reduction in natural gas flows from Russia amid the war in Ukraine, German officials have urged citizens to cut back on gas usage and conserve energy heading into the colder months.
Rather than a reduction in gas consumption, figures from the national network regulator show there has been an increase in usage. Last week鈥檚 gas consumption among households and small businesses was nearly 10% higher than the average consumption from 2018 to 2021, they said.
鈥淲e will hardly be able to avoid a gas emergency in winter without at least 20% savings in the private, commercial and industrial sectors,鈥� Mueller said. 鈥淭he situation can become very serious if we do not significantly reduce our gas consumption.鈥�
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