At a time when European governments adopted a set of decisions and measures to reduce the energy shock with the expectation of a cold winter, many citizens of these countries turned to wood and coal, remarkably, as an alternative to heating.
Gas and oil prices have skyrocketed around the world, especially in Europe, which relies heavily on Russian gas for industry and heating during the winter, since Russia's military offensive on Ukraine began last February, and the West imposed a range of sanctions on energy imports from Russia.
According to a report in the American newspaper " Washington Post ", many resorted to coal and wood stoves as an alternative means of heating in the winter, and the demand for them increased, which led to their loss from the market, while several cases of wood theft were recorded.
Citizens in Germany are concerned about the inability to pay the rent for their homes, due to the high energy prices, not to mention the rise in food and medicine prices, due to the “worst bout of inflation” the country has witnessed since the seventies of the last century.
Across Europe, Russian President Vladimir Putin's use of natural gas exports as a weapon to punish the West for imposing sanctions on Russia is throwing a bombshell on consumers in some of the richest countries on earth, according to the newspaper.
The hardest-hit countries, including Germany, Britain, Italy and the Netherlands, saw annual increases in taxpayers of 210 percent, at a time when officials and analysts warn of the possibility of rationing and winter power outages.
In Britain, cash-strapped residents are abandoning pets, while schools warn that rising energy costs mean they can no longer afford new textbooks.
In Poland, officials are considering distributing anti-smoke masks, as Poles are considering burning rubbish to keep warm in winter.
As West Berliners, in Germany, dust off the coal and wood furnaces that once served as insurance against the Russians targeting energy supplies during the Cold War.
Many European countries suffer from scarcity and high prices of firewood, and thieves who take advantage of this and steal tree trunks from pickup cars. Scammers set up fake websites, pretending to be lumber sellers to deceive desperate consumers. In many countries, wood-burning ovens were almost completely sold out.
“Firewood is the new gold,” said Franz Lönninghake, 62, of Bremen, Germany, who has pre-orders for wood-burning furnaces and expects his energy bill next year to reach $4,500, up from $1,500 in the 12 months to May. last May.
Norbert Schrobeck, a chimney sweeper in Berlin, said he had seen an increase in demand, with Berliners refurbishing old stoves and installing new ones.
Skrupik fears that local residents' purchase of portable heaters could lead to dangerous carbon monoxide leaks if they are improperly installed or used.
European countries are scrambling to cut consumption, fill reserves and search for alternatives to Russian natural gas, all while pledging hundreds of billions of dollars in financial aid to consumers and businesses to stem the economic bleeding, according to the Washington Post.
At the end of August, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said that in the worst conditions, next winter could see a two-hour blackout for French homes, amid a widespread energy crisis exacerbated by the war in Ukraine.
This situation is due in part to the aftermath of the Ukraine war, Bourne said, as well as plans to shut down about half of France's 56 nuclear reactors for maintenance.
It is noteworthy that France relies on nuclear energy to generate about 67% of its electricity needs, and on gas to generate about 7%.
"That means we'll produce less electricity, and there may be times, especially if it's too cold, we might have trouble getting electricity. In such a case, we'll take turns cutting off the electricity from neighborhood to neighborhood, for no more than two hours," Bourne added. .
She explained that such a decision would be motivated by a set of bad conditions, including Russia's cutting off gas supplies, the imposition of restrictions on liquefied natural gas imports, and the very cold winter.
In a related context, the Russian state-controlled energy company "Gazprom" announced last August that it would suspend all gas shipments to the French company, Engie, due to a financial dispute.
For its part, Engy said that it has already obtained enough gas to meet its obligations to customers.
British Prime Minister Liz Truss on September 8 set high consumer energy bills for two years, as part of a package to reduce the economic shock of the war in Ukraine, which could cost about 150 billion pounds ($ 172 billion).
As Britain faces a recession as household energy bills have nearly quadrupled, Trust has set bill rates and described it as a "bold, immediate measure to protect consumers and businesses".
Terrace has also announced that it will set energy bills for two years at a cap of 2,500 pounds (more than $2,800) a year for the average family, in the face of rising living costs.
Speaking before Parliament, Terrace said energy prices would be set for a period of six months for companies.
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