The uneven tracking marked the first day of application in Tenerife of the main measures of the energy saving plan decreed by the Government of Spain. The disconnection of the lighting of commercial windows and public buildings after 10:00 p.m. had a mixed response. The blackout was practically confined to public institutions and did not receive much attention in the private sphere. As for the imposition of putting the air conditioning from 25 to 27 degrees, as also determined by the new regulations, the majority of retail businesses did not comply with it on this initial day, waiting for the seven-day period foreseen for the adaptation. The Island responded to the Decree Law of the Government of Spain in a disparate manner. Between forced compliance, rejection and skepticism.
At ten o’clock at night the last lights of the Tenerife Island Council building went out. The same thing happened with the Parliament of the Canary Islands and the City Councils of Santa Cruz or La Laguna. The Royal Decree does not contemplate turning off real estate such as squares or fountains. But the response was much weaker in open commercial areas. On Castillo Street and adjacent streets, such as Viera y Clavijo or Suárez Guerra, the proportion was 60% to 40% in favor of darkness. The factor of a first day that shows the need for adaptation and the outright rejection of the measures by part of the trade came together to determine this unequal result.
The online clothing and shoe store Inside, on Castillo street, will prepare from the morning to comply with the law. Their shop assistants hang instructions from the parent company in the shop window. They remember that the Decree Law establishes the air conditioning for cargo work at 25 degrees, such as those of the franchise in Tenerife. That is the temperature of the premises at one in the afternoon. The second shift will turn off the light at 9:30 p.m. “with the lowering of the lever.” The manager points out: “It was automatic but we have been testing the manual blackout for a week.”
In a very different shop, on nearby Suárez Guerra street, Beni Rodríguez, from Armas Intersport, shows the sports area where the air conditioning broke some time ago. The truth is that it’s hot.
No to closing doors
In the armory he has the air at 25, a little below the limit of 27, which he has tested these days “and the air does not reach my office.” Both doors are open and she is averse to closing them because “the customer just won’t come in.” Says someone who has 40 years of experience. In addition, he adds, “I do not have the resources to install the closure proposed by the decree while the air conditioning works.”
The merchants consulted establish the cost between 1,000 and 3,000 euros. As for the shop window, it says: “The lights are turned off automatically. Until a few days ago at ten at night and now, so as not to mislead me, from half past nine».
The other main initiative, keeping the air conditioning at 27 degrees inside the premises, was also unevenly followed on the Island. Hardly any store complied exactly with what was determined by law. In some cases due to ignorance – although it may seem incredible, given the media impact of the Decree Law – and in others due to the weather conditions of the day, much cooler than the previous ones. Also because there is a margin for adaptation and, finally, by simple rejection. Administrations, businessmen, associations and the merchants themselves show their skepticism and, above all, the doubts that the new regulations arouse.
The workers of the Islátika bookstore joked with the air at 23 degrees: «If they force us to change the door, then we remove it and that’s it. Let the air flow.” At Grupo ATE, a consultancy located on Avenida de Buenos Aires, the thermostat was at 20 degrees mid-morning and they did not know that the decree has been in force since 00:00 yesterday. They aim resigned: «We will have to comply with the law, we have no other».
At the Escribano Escrivá dental clinic, in José Hernández Alfonso, they did not know anything either, but the air was at 26, only one degree below what the energy saving plan establishes. In the Tenerife Espacio de las Artes (TEA) store, the temperature was much lower than 27. The worker responded with an explicit “to buy fans” when she was informed of the norm. Lottery Administration number 14, in Valentín Sanz, complied with the air at 27 degrees. Of the few, although the person in charge of him was clear in the farewell: “If another heat wave comes, I lower it.” Judith, from Serís Peluqueros, on Calle Imeldo Serís, is very critical: «I am in favor of saving energy, but I don’t understand this type of measure. They do not specify anything.
