German RTL TV reported on the 23rd that German supermarket giant Aldi (North) has officially announced that most of the group's supermarket outlets will close earlier than 8 pm from November onwards.
Other supermarkets and stores in Germany also have plans to close early.
Aldi Supermarkets (divided into South and North) is one of the largest supermarket chains in Germany. According to the German statistics website Statista, Aldi (North) will have a total of 2,209 outlets in Germany in 2021.
In a statement, Aldi (North) said that from Nov. 1, its supermarkets will close earlier at 8 p.m., up from the current 9 p.m. or 10 p.m.
A supermarket spokesman told RTL TV that the measure applies to the 2022/2023 winter season. Energy costs are said to be a major cost item for the retail sector, mainly for refrigerated goods and lighting.
In addition, several IKEA locations in Germany and Austria have closed an hour earlier, and other German supermarkets are discussing similar measures.
The German retail industry is also considering energy savings in other areas, such as turning off exterior lighting at night and optimizing interior and refrigeration temperature settings.
The German weekly Focus reported that Saturn, a large German electrical appliance chain, shut down its escalators. Other stores are preparing to lower their indoor heating temperature settings in winter, and some are giving employees warm jackets in advance.
In previous years, German retail tended to close for an hour longer when the holiday season arrived. This year, due to fears of Russian-European energy conflicts or resulting energy shortages in winter, the retail industry no longer follows traditions, which many people understand.
Due to high energy prices, many German companies have introduced energy-saving programs to ease their financial difficulties. Germany's largest gas importer Uniper will close half of its headquarters office space while turning down the heating temperature in the other half of the office space.
Germany's "Rheinische Post" reported on the 24th, citing a spokesman for Uniper, that half of the company's headquarters building has turned off all electrical equipment and stopped cleaning; in the office space that remains open, the heating temperature will be lowered to 20 degrees Celsius.
The Germans have a great way to save energy
Energy-saving "magic" in the building material store
For the average household, it is not practical to replace a new solar installation or heating system in order to save energy in the coming winter.
For this reason, German building materials dealers have come up with a few tricks that can significantly improve home energy consumption by purchasing a few simple but practical parts for a fraction of the cost.
Showers are one of the biggest energy consumers in the home, so replacing the right showerhead can have an immediate impact on energy-saving goals.
Energy-efficient shower heads cost less than 20 euros and use an average of only 5 liters of water per minute, compared to more than 10 liters of water per minute for traditional shower heads. In comparison, each family can save hundreds of euros per year.
The "flow restrictor" is also recommended: this plug-in with a small hole costs less than 10 euros and is placed in the hose of the shower to control the flow of water through the hose.
There are also flow restrictors for the kitchen, which are screwed to the front of the faucet and make it possible to invariably reduce water consumption by 20% to 40% by introducing air into the water.
Mysteries in the kitchen and laundry room
The Germans are also figuring out how to save energy in the kitchen, and the pressure cooker has become a must-have energy saver in many homes. Although this classic cookware had a tendency to be replaced by various new cookware in previous years, it has become fashionable again in recent years.
Pressure cookers can cook food quickly and efficiently. If used properly, pressure cookers can save up to 50% of energy when cooking.
In addition, the Germans have developed a number of energy-saving tips, such as turning down the heat 5 minutes before the end of cooking to use the residual heat of the stove to finish the dish; using a pot lid can reduce energy consumption by up to 2/3; cooking pasta with water boiled in an electric kettle is much faster than cooking directly in the pot; using the convection function and no preheat function of the oven can save 15% and 8% of electricity, respectively, to bake at low temperatures or Placing multiple layers of food in the oven at the same time is a great way to save energy.
The temperature of the refrigerator does not have to be set too low. 7 degrees Celsius and -18 degrees Celsius for the freezer and refrigerator, respectively, can meet the requirements of food preservation and can reduce electricity costs by about 6%.
