Switzerland is coming up with a set of punishments for naughty citizens who heat their rooms too much this winter.
Swiss news site Blick reports that ,“Violations of the Gas Ordinance are punishable by imprisonment and fines”.
They report that “in buildings heated with gas, the interior rooms should be brought to a maximum of 19 degrees . Hot water should only be heated to 60 degrees. Radiant heaters or warm air tents would be forbidden. Saunas and swimming pools would have to stay cold.”
Hospitals and nursing homes are exempt from the rules, but other “energy sinners” could face fines and jail terms of up to three years.
Spokesperson for Federal Department of Finance Markus Spörndli says fines will be in the region of €30 for lower end offenders, but that these could rise to as much as €3000.
It is expected that the introduction of synch measures could cause a black logue in the courts as “ mere question of whether measurements were taken in the right place – it tends to be cooler on an outside wall than on an inside wall – could preoccupy the courts.”Disputes are expected to arise over such ‘gray areas’, which Spörndli says will not be forgiven.