Düsseldorf (dpa/lnw) - The state government and trade in North Rhine-Westphalia want to work together to motivate people in the most populous federal state to save more energy and especially gas. This was agreed by the craft organizations and the black-green state government in a joint statement presented in Düsseldorf on Thursday under the motto "NRW saves energy".
It envisages low-threshold offers on the subject of energy saving for consumers in NRW, but also a joint specialist offensive by the state and trade to combat the shortage of skilled workers in energy and air-conditioning trades.
The North Rhine-Westphalian Economics Minister Mona Neubaur (Greens) emphasized that private households account for around a third of gas consumption in NRW. Tradesmen who are already on site to maintain the heating system, for example, could point out easy-to-implement savings opportunities and also warn people about the high energy costs to be expected. With its numerous customer contacts, the trade is a central multiplier to promote energy saving.
The President of Handwerk NRW, Andreas Ehlert, said that the aim was to motivate people "to use the existing building technology in a more resource-saving manner or to make sensible investments in building technology and the building envelope". It could be about the right room temperature or the correct setting of the heating system and hot water preparation.
The joint declaration also envisages speeding up planning and approval procedures in the energy sector and examining the legal framework if it stands in the way of avoiding energy consumption.
