Spain Implements Thermostat Mandate — up to 80 Degrees Fahrenheit — Despite Heatwave

Alison Fox
·2 min read
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Spain has set strict limits on air conditioning in shops and other venues, requiring business and various buildings to keep their thermostats anywhere from 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit — despite the fact that the country is enduring a heatwave.

Additionally, business are told to leave doors and windows closed after 10 p.m., the government confirmed on Twitter, in their effort to conserve energy amid the high temperatures s well as problems with gas supplies due to the war in Ukraine.

"The war in Ukraine requires us to be more efficient in energy consumption," Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez tweeted this week. "Today we approve urgent energy saving and efficiency measures aimed at administrative and commercial buildings and transport infrastructure. Let's collaborate in this important task that belongs to everyone."

The limits are aimed at reducing "consumption in the context of the war in Ukraine," according to the government.

The new rules also comes amid a heatwave in Spain where temperatures have reached higher than 110 degrees Fahrenheit, according to The Weather Channel. The heatwave has been so severe it was even labeled Zoe as the world's first named heatwave.

A visitor reads a newspaper at the Agusti Centelles Library, a designated climatic refuge, part of Barcelonas Climate Shelter Network (CSN)
A visitor reads a newspaper at the Agusti Centelles Library, a designated climatic refuge, part of Barcelonas Climate Shelter Network (CSN)

Angel Garcia/Bloomberg via Getty Images

In addition to cutting back on air conditioning, Reuters reported Sanchez has proposed ministers, public officials, and private sector employees stop wearing neckties during hot summer months to keep cool.

The decision to limit air conditioning follows the European Union's proposal last month to cut gas use by 15% from August to March, the wire service noted. It also comes just weeks after the United Kingdom recorded its hottest day ever with a temperature of 39.1 degrees Celsius (102.3 degrees Fahrenheit). It got so hot that London's Luton Airport was forced to close for several hours after the runway was damaged.

In Spain, the heat has led to hundreds of deaths and even wildfires in recent weeks, The Associated Press reported, with Europe's fire season hitting parts of the continent earlier than usual following a dry, hot spring.

Alison Fox is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure. When she's not in New York City, she likes to spend her time at the beach or exploring new destinations and hopes to visit every country in the world. Follow her adventures on Instagram.