Farhad Shahraki told Shana that the gas imbalance is not just a household-sector issue; its consequences show up across the country's economic sectors. When a large volume of produced gas is lost to poor building insulation and substandard equipment, he said, it is natural that the cold season brings difficulty in meeting the needs of other sectors.

He added that the result is higher liquid fuel consumption at power plants, a smaller gas share for industry, and even the shutdown of some production units. Under these conditions, petrochemical complexes, an important source of foreign currency for the country, also face feedstock restrictions, which can affect export revenues and employment.

The Parliament Energy Committee's deputy chairman said estimates show that the imbalance and energy waste in these sectors have reached very significant figures, and that the savings potential in buildings could play an important role in narrowing the gap.

Shahraki continued that implementing Section 19 should not remain a mere technical recommendation or a requirement on paper. The regulation needs enforcement guarantees, and the responsible organizations must monitor compliance.

He said a retrofit and optimization program must be defined for existing buildings that do not meet the required standards, because applying the standard only to new buildings cannot solve the problem of energy waste across millions of existing housing units.

harmonize them.