Switzerland will fine, jail citizens who turn thermostats above 66 degrees

FPI / September 12, 2022

Switzerland's over-reliance on Russian gas combined with its climate change alarmism has created an energy disaster for the European nation, critics say.

The situation has become so dire that the Swiss government has enacted regulations that allow for the fining and jailing of citizens who turn their thermostats above 19 degrees Celsius – 66 degrees Fahrenheit – this winter.

Those who are caught turning their thermostats above the mandated threshold face up to three years in prison and fines between 30 and 3,000 Swiss francs (U.S. $31 and $3,090).

In addition to keeping buildings heated with gas to 66 degrees, the Swiss government will also mandate that water can only be heated to 60 degrees Celsius – 140 degrees Fahrenheit. There will also be a ban on radiant heaters and the heating of swimming pools and saunas will be forbidden, according to Swiss outlet Blick.

Russia recently shut down Nord Stream 1, a critical pipeline that carried natural gas through the Baltic Sea to Germany, forcing many European countries to limit the demand by citizens.

Switzerland, like many other European nations, has also focused on renewable energy sources which, critics say, have proven unreliable in a vow to create a “climate-neutral society” by 2050.

Other nations have also put restrictions on energy use. In Spain, air conditioning cannot be lowered below 27 degrees – around 80 degrees Fahrenheit – in the summer.

French President Emmanuel Macron has also called for a restriction on energy use with a 10 percent reduction being the goal for the energy-deprived country.

Free Press International
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