Germany approves rules to turn down the lights and heating this winter

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz: His cabinet also on Wednesday approved legislation to prioritise energy transport on part of the country's rail networks.

Germany's public buildings are to become cooler and streets darker this winter under energy-saving measures approved by the cabinet, as part of efforts to protect the nation's gas reserves to offset throttled deliveries from Russia.

Russian gas giant Gazprom has slashed gas flows to Germany via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to 20% of capacity, citing technical issues. Berlin has called the move politically motivated, in view of Europe's sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. With the incoming rules, the German government hopes to reduce gas usage by around 2%.