According to the Bundesnetzagentur, there is currently no real risk of overloading the power grid due to the massive use of fan heaters. "We saw the sales figures for the fan heaters," said the authority's president, Klaus Müller, to the "Tagesspiegel" (Monday). "But the good thing is: The devices are not switched on. They are in the basement."

In November, when it was temporarily cold, people could have had the "stupid and expensive idea of ​​heating with electricity instead of gas. Fortunately, hardly anyone did that," said Müller. "The threat of a blackout doesn't worry us too much," he added.

Bought a fan heater out of concern

In the past few months, consumers had stocked up on fan heaters in large numbers for fear of a gas shortage. However, the natural gas supply via pipeline, especially from Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium, is stable. In addition, the gas storage tanks are well filled for the time being.

Federal Building Minister Klara Geywitz (SPD) called for energy savings to continue despite the low temperatures in Germany. "By now, most of them have certainly turned on the heating, and of course we can see that in the gas consumption," said Geywitz on the RTL/ntv program "Frühstart". "What Klaus Müller said applies: Of course we still have to save. But I think most of them will do it on their own."