This is how the Bundesrat wants to respond to a power shortage

If there is a serious power shortage, the Bundesrat wants to respond with bans and restrictions. The aim is to guarantee grid stability and thus the power supply – and to prevent more serious interventions such as quotas and shutdowns. And the measures taken by Minister of Economic Affairs Guy Parmelin (63) have it all!

They must be imposed in escalation levels. The federal government decides when this will be announced.

• Operation of mobile heaters, except in inhabited areas or at workplaces that have no other heating option
• Control of patio heaters, outdoor heaters and seat heaters in chairlifts
• Control of mobile air conditioners and fans without operational need
• Operation of air conditioning systems in work or living spaces without operational need
• Operating whirlpools, tanning beds, saunas, infrared cabins, steam baths, massage chairs and other electrically operated wellness facilities in the private sector
• Outdoor lighting of buildings and gardens as well as private paths, unless this is necessary for safety reasons
• Lighting of parking lots and parking garages outside opening hours, with the exception of emergency lighting
• Lighting in areas where there are no people, as far as technically possible, with the exception of emergency lighting
• Heating of rooms with continuously open outside doors
• Electric leaf blowers
• Hot water in public toilets

• Washing machines in private households may be operated with a maximum water temperature of 40°C.
• The commercial use of clothes dryers, irons and mangles is permitted for up to twelve hours per day (excluding hospitals, birth centers, doctor’s offices and retirement and nursing homes).
• If public areas are heated by electric heaters and heat pumps, the maximum temperature is 20°C (except wellness areas, hospitals, etc.).
• Retail warming displays, plate or cup warmers and warming drawers should not be used at temperatures above 65°C.
• With the exception of perishable beverages, retail beverage coolers should not be used at temperatures below 9°C.
• Private and commercial refrigerators should not be cooled below 6°C.
• Refrigerators and freezers of private individuals and companies may not be cooled below -20°C.
• Advertisements with beamers or screens, but also shop window lighting, neon signs and mood lighting may only be lit between 05:00 and 23:00.
• In unused buildings and floors, the heating must be set to frost protection or switched off.
• Transfer centers and warehouses may be heated to a maximum of 19°C.

• Use of screens and projectors for advertising purposes
• Shop window lighting, neon signs and decorative lighting (excluding company logos during office hours)
• Holiday and other outdoor decorative lighting
• Operation of clothes dryers and irons in the private sector
• Operation of minibars in guest rooms and maxi-bars for shared use in the catering industry
• Operation of beverage coolers, except perishable beverages, in the retail and catering industry
• Operation of plate and cup warmers in retail and catering
• Operation of escalators and moving walkways, provided there is another access option

• The commercial use of clothes dryers, irons and mangles is permitted for a maximum of nine hours per day (except in hospitals, birth centers, doctor’s offices and retirement and nursing homes).
• If public areas are heated with electric heaters and heat pumps, these areas may be heated to a maximum of 19°C. An upper limit of 20°C applies to guest rooms in the hospitality industry (exception for hospitals, birth centres, general practices, etc.)
• The room temperature in electrically heated swimming pools and other wellness facilities must be limited to a maximum of 27°C (except saunas).
• In catering kitchens, the heating should be on the lowest level or turned off.
• Transfer centers and warehouses may be heated to a maximum of 18°C.
• Refrigerators and freezers of private individuals and companies may not be cooled below -19°C.
• Warming displays, plate or cup warmers and warming drawers may not be used in the catering industry at temperatures higher than 65°C.
• If the production of hot water is mainly covered by the use of electrical energy, the water may be heated to a maximum of 60 degrees Celsius (except in hospitals, doctors’ surgeries, old people’s and nursing homes, food processing companies).
• In discotheques, clubs and the like, but also at dance and similar events, the heating should be set to the lowest level or switched off completely.
• Streaming services must limit the resolution of their offerings to Standard Definition (SD).
• Data centers and server rooms may not be cooled below 25°C.

• Control of electrical heating of swimming pools
• Lighting of sports fields and facilities
• Holding amateur sporting events (including e-sporting events), provided electrical energy is used
• Use of washing facilities for passenger cars and commercial vehicles (with the exception of workshop activities)
• Discover lighting and fog systems in discotheques, clubs and the like
• Control of video, DVD and Blu-ray devices, game consoles and gaming computers
• streaming services for entertainment purposes
• Exploitation of artificially cooled outer ice surfaces
• Cryptocurrency mining and high frequency trading

• Store opening hours must be reduced by a certain number of hours per day. Each store formula can independently determine the time slot.
• Outside opening hours, freezers should be covered with polystyrene sheets or night curtains.
• The commercial use of clothes dryers, irons and mangles is permitted for a maximum of eight hours per day (except in hospitals, birth centers, doctors’ offices and retirement and nursing homes).
• If rooms are heated by electric heaters and heat pumps, these rooms may be heated to a maximum of 18°C ​​(except in hospitals, birth centres, doctors’ surgeries and homes for the elderly and nursing homes).
• The use of whirlpools, tanning beds, saunas, infrared cabins, steam baths, massage chairs and other electrically operated wellness facilities in the business area is permitted for a maximum of seven hours per day.
• The private use of electric cars is only allowed for absolutely necessary trips (commuting, running errands, visiting a doctor, attending religious events, attending court hearings).

• Operation of passenger transport systems for leisure purposes
• Operation of snow sports facilities and snow cannons
• Operation of heating or cooling installations for sports facilities
• Operation of leisure and amusement parks, amusement arcades, casinos, discotheques and the like
• Conducting public film screenings
• Public performance of cultural events (theatre, opera and concerts), provided that electrical energy is used
• Holding amateur and professional sporting events (including e-sports events), provided that electrical energy is used

Quotas for large-scale consumers could follow as a further measure. This would affect 34,000 consumers who consume more than 100 megawatt hours per year, which together accounts for about half of Switzerland’s total electricity consumption.

According to the Federal Council’s proposals, the last measure would be to shut down subnetworks. These are intended to prevent a network collapse of the entire network and thus the blackout. Blue light organizations and primary care providers would be excluded from the respective subnetwork closure, to the extent technically possible.

These are all suggestions. These will now go until December 12 in short consultation with the cantons, parties and associations.