According to the Federal Network Agency, it is still unclear whether there will be a gas emergency in winter. "We should only know about a gas shortage when it can no longer be stopped," said Klaus Müller, head of the authorities, to the "Handelsblatt".

"The weather, and thus private heating behavior and the situation in neighboring countries, are the decisive criteria." All three factors could not be predicted. His authority is working on models to give politics and business a few days' advance warning of a gas shortage. "Thanks to the well-filled storage facilities, we can buy time to prepare for a gas shortage. However, we cannot predict gas consumption for more than one and a half weeks," said Müller in the interview.

Reliable prognosis not possible

Should a gas shortage occur, Müller expects wave movements. "There are gas shortages, they go, they come back, they appear here and there, possibly also throughout Germany." He cannot give a serious prognosis as to where the risk of a shortage is greatest. "In Germany there can be cold spells everywhere. If we get a very cold winter, we have a problem."

When it comes to saving gas, "there is still a lot of work to do," Müller told the "Handelsblatt". Industry consumption fell by 22 percent in August, among other things due to the switch to other energy sources, "but also due to hard production stops". "The industry is contributing what we have asked of them." If this continues, it will help to avoid even worse damage from forced reductions.

There have been more gas outflows from private households in the past few days than he had hoped. "In view of the warm temperature and the extremely high gas prices, I was very surprised. That has to change." Müller suspects that many heating systems have not yet been converted. "Owners, tenants and housing associations still have the heaters set the way they were last fall. Above a certain temperature, the heaters come on in the morning. That's a warning signal, something urgently needs to be done."