July 14, 2022, Bavaria, Munich, Fröttmaning: Jessica Bendorf, an employee at Hornbach, moves a fan heater from a shelf onto a trolley in the Hornbach hardware store in Fröttmaning.The fear of gas bottlenecks in the coming winter causes a boom in demand for fan heaters, convector heaters and oil radiators in the middle of summer.Photo: Felix Hörhager/dpa +++ dpa picture radio +++Germans bought 600,000 electric heaters during the first half of the year, up nearly 35% from the previous year, according to market researcher GfK data.Sales figures showed households were stockpiling electric fan heaters, including portable devices, amid concerns that Russia might cut off or further reduce gas supplies in the wake of its war in Ukraine.Utilities warned in an article published on Sunday that Germans could overload their power grid as they switch to inefficient electric heaters in an effort to avoid gas shortages this winter.The managing director of the German Association of Energy and Water Utilities BDEW, told the daily Handelsblatt that customers could be left with higher energy bills if they don't use the devices in moderation."It can overburden power grids, for example when several families are turning on their fan heaters in one part of the city at the same time on a cold winter's night," BDEW Director Kirsten Andrea was quoted as saying.She said she understands people's fears of cold homes, but some coping mechanisms can backfire.Germany, along with other European Union countries, is seeking to support burdened homes and industries with an additional rise in energy prices after Russia halted supplies via the Nord Stream 1 natural gas pipeline.The German government has pledged that industrial users will be the first to be rationed in the event of a shortage and that private households will reap any cuts.The head of Germany's Federal Network Agency also said that local power outages could result from peak fan heater usage, according to Saturday's interview with the Tagesspiegel newspaper.Klaus Mueller added that even with “extremely high” gas prices, electric heaters would cost users more than gas-based central heating, the most common form of residential heating in the country.Your email address will not be published.Required fields are marked *Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Monday evening that his forces have recaptured 6,000 square kilometers of land this month."Since...Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Monday evening that his forces have recaptured 6,000 square kilometers of land this month."Since...© 2019 see news - powered by 3a digital.© 2019 see news - powered by 3a digital.