A debate has raged in Spain after the government banned offices, shops and other places from setting air conditioning below 27°C in the summer.

This decision is part of plans to reduce the country's energy consumption and limit dependence on Russian gas. The decree, published on Tuesday morning, will also ban heating above 19°C during winter.

The rules will be mandatory in all public and commercial buildings, including bars, cinemas, theatres, airports and train stations. Families have been advised to do the same.

"For now, perhaps suggested by the heat wave we are experiencing, I would say that at 27 degrees we will be very hot," Andrea Castillo, an employee at Castellón University, told Euronews. "Maybe we can work at 25 degrees, but not at 27".

Laura Berge, a civil servant in Valencia, questioned the practicality of the measure. "In general, you can work at 27 degrees, but to reach that temperature in hot areas, you have to set the air conditioner to 22 or 23 degrees for several hours, so I'm worried," she told Euronews.

Teresa Ribera, the Ecology Minister, said the measures - which include switching off lights in shop windows after 10pm - would initially last until November 2023.