Energy commissioner Dan Jørgensen has told member states to consider a ban on outdoor heaters, among other cuts in gas and electricity use, before winter.
In a letter to Germany’s economy minister Katherina Reiche and her counterparts, seen by Table.Briefings, he wrote that storage and prices had not improved since his first warning in March.
European stores were around 71 per cent full, well below last year’s level.
Wholesale gas for winter has roughly doubled since January, to about €70 a megawatt-hour.
There is no immediate shortage, he said, but there is a price crisis tied to a supply crunch.
Lower demand would spare the stores and blunt the spike.
Energy ministers met informally in Dublin on September 28–29 to hear the case.
It is up to member states to determine whether they will heed to the call of Jørgensen
The Commission’s wording remained open, stating that governments should “consider” keeping or reviving such steps “for as long as necessary.”
The suggested list matches the emergency package used in 2022: switching off unnecessary public lighting at night, lowering temperatures in public buildings, and prohibiting outdoor heating on terraces and squares.
In the Brussels-Capital Region, gas terrace heaters are already due to be banned from 1 June 2026; electric heaters remain allowed after an amendment in the regional parliament.
Paris and Barcelona have restricted gas units.
The same appliance is treated as ordinary kit elsewhere. In the United States, restaurant and hotel suppliers sell gas and electric patio heaters as standard equipment to keep terraces open for another 12 to 16 weeks of the year.
Industry guides size heaters by the square foot, quote running costs in cents per hour, and treat outdoor comfort as part of the business, not a luxury to switch off in a shortage.
