Paris is switching off the Eiffel Tower lights an hour early, Milan has turned off public fountains, and Hanover is offering gym users cold rather than hot showers in an effort to combat potential energy shortages this winter.
At the same time, the public are being encouraged to do their bit by avoiding using household appliances between 4pm and 7pm, stock up on blankets and slow down their driving.
One global retail chain is encouraging staff to change their behaviours: to use stairs instead of lifts, to use energy-saving apps at home, and unplug devices rather than leaving them on standby.
The UK, by contrast, has blocked a £15m campaign encouraging the public to conserve energy, with the government arguing that the country is “not a nanny state”.
But across Europe, governments and municipal authorities have responded to calls to reduce power consumption and reach an EU target of shaving 15% off energy consumption by next March.
All member states are reducing heating in public buildings by one degree to 19C, but some have gone further.
France
