European institutions further cut energy use in their buildings amid energy crisis

The three main EU institutions - the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU - have introduced several measures in recent years aimed at reducing their environmental footprint. Last year’s energy crisis, however, prompted the institutions to take further action, targeting rapid reductions in energy consumption. Euractiv reported.

The Council will switch on air conditioning at 27 °C in summer

One common measure to reduce energy consumption is to adjust heating, namely by lowering temperatures in buildings. In two buildings of the Council of the EU, office temperatures have been lowered to 19 °C. In one of the Council’s buildings, Justus Lipsius, the temperature in the atrium is kept at 16 °C, while in the other, Europa, it is kept at 14 °C. The threshold for switching on air conditioning during the summer has also been raised to 27 °C. The atria in both buildings will not be air-conditioned at all. Most of the energy used by the Council to generate heat and electricity comes from gas.