BERLIN (AP) — Germans are using too much gas to avoid a potential energy “emergency” this winter, the head of Germany’s national network regulator warned Thursday.

“Gas consumption increased by too much last week,” said Klaus Mueller, head of Germany’s network agency.

With the reduction in natural gas flows from Russia amid the war in Ukraine, German officials have urged citizens to cut back on gas usage and conserve energy heading into the colder months.

Rather than a reduction in gas consumption, figures from the national network regulator show there has been an increase in usage. Last week’s gas consumption among households and small businesses was nearly 10% higher than the average consumption from 2018 to 2021, they said.

“We will hardly be able to avoid a gas emergency in winter without at least 20% savings in the private, commercial and industrial sectors,” Mueller said. “The situation can become very serious if we do not significantly reduce our gas consumption.”