As Switzerland tries to prevent power shortages this winter, local politicians have been suggesting some, let’s say, intimate ways to save energy: in trying to promote the government’s energy-saving plan, Federal Councillor Simonetta Sommaruga has suggested that people take showers together. 

People in Switzerland could save power by showering together

According to The Times, the Head of the Department of Energy made the comments while trying to promote the latest power-saving plan proposed by the Federal Council. In an interview given to 20 minuten, Sommaruga suggested that residents could "turn off the computer when you don’t need it, or turn off lights, or shower together.”

It comes as Switzerland tries to reduce energy usage by 15 percent to avoid blackouts this winter. While the current measures promoted by the government are voluntary - such as turning down the heating, switching off lights and, apparently, showering together - the Federal Council has warned that quotas and bans will be considered if consumption is not reduced.

Sommaruga: Comments have raised awareness of Swiss energy saving plan

In an editorial, Geraldine Savary, the editor of Swiss women’s magazine Femina, said she is against the idea, accusing the government of seeking to “administer our private lives, down to the most trivial details.” She joked that residents of Switzerland should make love every morning to warm themselves up after turning off the heating at night, have a shower and go to work “arm in arm, having left the car, the scooter and the electric bicycle in the garage.”

Responding to the backlash, Sommaruga told reporters that the idea had "broadly" gone down well with people and that it served its purpose in “raising awareness” of the Federal Council’s energy saving campaign. However, she clarified that the energy-saving tips she was talking about at the time were meant for young people. “After a certain age, showering together is no longer suitable for everyone,” she concluded.