Germany is at the center of an energy crisis. The country, like others in Europe, relies heavily on Russian gas. And some worry that Moscow could turn off the tap this winter to punish the EU for sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine. Already, gas flows to Germany are down, so Germans are trying to conserve energy ahead of winter by dimming lights, taking cold showers and installing DIY solar panels. NPR's Bobby Allyn has the story from Berlin.

BOBBY ALLYN, BYLINE: There's no major industrialized country in the world more dependent on Russian energy than Germany. Natural gas, mostly from Russia, is used to heat about half of the country's households.

Karolina Attspodina moved to Berlin from Ukraine 10 years ago.

KAROLINA ATTSPODINA: I'm pretty frustrated, and I think not just me. I think a lot of the people are - that how could we get it to this stage, that we're so reliant on somebody else and especially Russia?

ALLYN: Attspodina resents that Germany has no choice but to keep buying energy from Russia. So she started a DIY solar panel company to fight against Germany's dependence on Russia.

ATTSPODINA: I can see, you know, my people dying over at home. I still have family and friends there.

ALLYN: Making her startup more meaningful to her now - it's called We Do Solar. It sells solar panels for city apartments to be installed on balconies or garages or roofs. If they collect enough solar power, Attspodina says, they can reduce the utility bill by 25%. In an energy crisis, that appealed to many Germans.

ATTSPODINA: Around the invasion, we saw a huge spike of interest. So around 70%, our sales went up.

ALLYN: Attspodina is now racing to keep up with sales. Even though regulations limit the amount of power her solar panels can generate, she has a backlog of 3,000 orders she's now trying to fill.

ATTSPODINA: This is a way for you to actually reduce your energy bill, but also reduce CO2 and help our climate crisis and obviously help the fact that we are reliant on the Russian gas.

ALLYN: Across Germany, the government is taking its own steps to try to reduce the country's energy consumption - dimming lights in public places, cranking down the heat of public pools, turning off water fountains. Some cities are even considering turning off traffic lights if they're not in highly populated areas. While Russia has been gradually sending less gas to Europe in response to Western sanctions, in Germany, some fear that Russia will completely cut off gas exports to the country.

That would make a painful energy crunch even worse, says Fabian Ronningen, senior analyst with Rystad Energy.

FABIAN RONNINGEN: The energy crisis will last as long as prices are very high. And Germany remains dependent on Russian gas, which will not be a short-term thing.

ALLYN: In Berlin, one of her customers, Leo von Bismarck, recently installed the solar panels at his parent's house in the city's posh Mitte neighborhood. As we looked at the eight black panels Velcroed to the outside of the balcony, von Bismarck said they were appealing because they double as a privacy screen. But he's happy about the cost savings, too.

LEO VON BISMARCK: Some people are just paralyzed by the urge to do something, but at the same time not knowing how to do it. And this is really plug and play, to be honest. Like, it's as simple as that.

ALLYN: Easy for a von Bismarck to say. For many Germans, the $1,300 euro cost of buying the cheapest set is simply out of reach. Just ask Lydia Dietsch. She's a graphic designer in Berlin who says there is no way she could afford them. At the same time, her utility bill recently delivered some sticker shock. She lives with her partner and her roommate.

LYDIA DIETSCH: Price has already increased from, like, 91 euros per month to 410 per month.

ALLYN: For Dietsch - she's not turning to solar panels to cut back, but rather, she's taking shorter showers, sometimes cold showers, and...

DIETSCH: Trying to avoid cooking with the gas often and use other things instead. Like, we have a grill, or, I don't know, just try to cook alternatively.

ALLYN: As she and the rest of the country brace for the coming winter, she says she might have no choice but to shiver her way through it.

DIETSCH: Yeah, I'm afraid of winter. I don't know what will happen. We will just be in the cold rooms, I guess.

ALLYN: Or maybe, she says, she'll find a friend who's managed to heat their home with solar panels.

Bobby Allyn, NPR News, Berlin.

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