By adopting energy austerity measures Riga City Council hopes to reduce energy consumption by 15% and save up to EUR 10 million, said Mayor of Riga Mārtiņš Staķis at a press-conference on Thursday, 15 September.
Representatives of Riga Energy Agency and Rīgas gaisma reported that energy austerity measures provide for setting interior air temperature at +20.5° C at municipal institutions and schools. At night air temperature is to be reduced by four degrees.
Schools will be under an additional regime. Once teaching is over, interior air temperature is to be reduced by a couple of degrees. At night interior air temperature at schools is to be reduced by the aforementioned four degrees.
Ventilation systems will be controlled, hot water supply will be reduced and lighting of Riga City Council institutions will be modernised through transition to LED lighting.
Part of the lighting will be switched off in public locations and streets. Lighting will be switched off entirely at night between 03:00 a.m. and 04:00 a.m. Lighting will be left on at parks, tunnels, pedestrian walkways and locations in which turning off lighting would increase the risk of criminal activity.
Facade lighting of municipal institutions and other buildings between 00:00 a.m. and 05:00 a.m.
Lighting of large sports fields will be reduced to 33.3%.
Lighting intensity will be reduced on streets using LED lighting.
Last year Riga municipal institutions’ electricity and gas costs were about EUR 22 million. In 2023 these costs may reach EUR 75 million. Staķis reported that this September’s bills may turn out four times higher than they were in September 2021.
To pay bills, Riga City Council has allocated EUR 32.4 million from the budget. Budget amendments are also planned to secure another EUR 5.3 million.
According to the mayor, managers of municipal institutions will be asked to have their employees work remotely whenever possible to help reduce energy consumption.