Spain orders public places set air conditioning no lower than 27 degrees Celsius

Photo By Eduardo Parra/Europa Press via Getty Images

Spain has become the latest government to tell its citizens to turn down the air conditioning.

Air conditioning in public places must be set at or above 27 degrees Celsius, and doors of buildings must be closed to save energy, according to a decree published on Tuesday.

Offices, shops, bars, airports, and train stations are some of the public places. The decree is being extended to all Spanish homes. The rules state that heating should be kept at or below 19 degrees Celsius in the winter and will be in place through November.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Snchez encourages office workers to remove their ties in order to stay cool without assistance. He told a press conference last week that he had asked ministers and public sector bosses not to wear ties.

European countries are trying to untangle twin problems; hot heat and political conflict that are complicating energy supplies. Spain is under increasing pressure not to rely on gas supplied by Russia.

Greece and Italy implemented measures last month to restrict energy use when cooling public buildings and require air conditioning to be set to 27 degrees Celsius or higher.

If air-conditioned businesses leave their doors open, they will be fined 750. Mobile air conditioning units and fan heaters can't be used anywhere other than in hospitals and schools.

Por parte de la Comunidad de Madrid no se aplicará. Madrid no se apaga.



Esto genera inseguridad y espanta el turismo y el consumo.



Provoca oscuridad, pobreza, tristeza, mientras el Gobierno tapa la pregunta: ¿qué ahorro se va a aplicar a sí mismo? https://t.co/3nDyfnwsxb

— Isabel Díaz Ayuso (@IdiazAyuso) August 1, 2022

Some people are against the new measures. Madrid isn't going to switch off. This causes security and scares away tourists.

Less than 10 percent of Europe's households have air conditioning, compared to over 90 percent of American households. The International Energy Agency predicts that Europe will triple its air conditioning stock by the year 2050.

An earlier version of the article stated that the mandate required the temperature to be above 27 degrees.