Germany plans energy savings of 26.5% by 2030
Germany plans drastic cuts by 2030 to secure energy supply and achieve climate neutrality
Gabriel Thomas (GT)May 8, 2025
The German government plans to require the private and public sectors to cut energy consumption by 26.5% by 2030 compared with 2008 levels, according to draft legislation seen by Reuters. The move is driven by concerns that continued low Russian gas supplies could lead to shortages. Last year, the government already took measures to save energy, such as banning heaters for private swimming pools and encouraging home-based work. With success: last winter, Germans managed to save energy and followed the government's campaign to reduce energy consumption by 20%.
However, it showed that between 2008 and 2020, the country's energy savings were less than 6%. To achieve the goal of a carbon-neutral economy by 2045, the federal government needs to save about 45 terawatt hours (TWh) each year, while the provinces need to collectively save 5 TWh. Companies that consume a certain amount of energy must implement "energy management systems" to plan consumption over the long term.
The new bill is expected to be approved by the German cabinet this month and will make even higher savings mandatory for the public and private sectors. The draft also sets non-binding reduction targets of 39% by 2040 and 45% by 2045, but it remains to be seen what the actual implementation of the law will look like.
Deutsche Umwelthilfe welcomes the draft law as a step in the right direction, but calls for further measures to achieve the climate targets. According to the environmental organization, consumers also need to be more involved in order to reduce energy consumption. In addition, it says, the expansion of renewable energies must be driven forward in order to make the energy turnaround a success. Some business associations, on the other hand, have expressed concerns that the savings would be too costly and difficult to implement.
