Many EU countries have already taken measures to curb energy consumption. The city of Hannover in Germany on Thursday was revealed it has eliminated hot showers in all public buildings. The French government, on the other hand, has taken measures to regulate the cooling and heating of public spaces, among other things ordering air-conditioned shops to keep their doors closed.
Leaving the doors open when the air conditioning is running can lead to a 20 percent increase in energy consumption, the energy transition minister said. Agnes Pannier-Runacher.
YLE said on Friday that the campaign will be officially announced at the end of the month so that it coincides with the increase in energy demand caused by the cooler weather and shorter days and focuses on heating and hot water consumption.
“Energy saving measures implemented by consumers are effective. In Finland, about a third of energy consumption comes from heating buildings, he says Päivi Suur-Uski, Motiva’s energy efficiency expert. “We also have a lot of heated spaces, such as garages and storage spaces, where heating can be reduced.”
He added that a drop of one degree in room temperature corresponds to up to five percent of energy consumption.
About 61 percent of household energy consumption comes from heating and 16 percent from hot water. According to Helsingin Sanomat. Hot water, on the other hand, can cover up to 30-40 percent of heating costs.
“The Pursuit [warm-water use] is a quick way to reduce energy consumption. We should forget about 15-minute showers and be in the shower for no more than five minutes, Suur-Uski said.
He estimates that households can curb their total energy consumption by up to 10 to 20 percent with effective savings measures. “It would also be of great importance nationally,” he emphasized.
Suur-Uski stated to Helsingin Sanomat that the campaign does not introduce new or revolutionary energy-saving measures, but only aims to encourage the use of “old measures a little more purposefully”.
Already in the spring, Sitra introduced the idea of an information campaign aimed at households on energy saving measures.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) also published a list of energy saving measures for consumers after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. If all EU citizens accepted the recommended measures, it calculatedit would result in oil savings of about 120 supertankers and natural gas savings that would be enough to heat 20 million homes.
Oras TynkkynenSitra’s senior advisor emphasized to YLE on Friday that saving energy is also a way to curb inflation, even if the effect is not immediately visible. “When demand falls, it lowers energy prices on the market and slows down inflation.”
The public broadcasting company reminded that similar measures were taken during the oil crisis of the 1970s. At the time, the government stated that room temperatures should be lowered, advertising lighting dimmed, and road traffic speed reduced to 80 kilometers per hour. The campaign led to a more than 10 percent drop in oil consumption.
Tynkkynen also drew attention to the effects of Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011. Japan successfully utilized energy efficiency and saving measures for more than half of the electricity produced by its nuclear power plants.
“These experiences show that relatively large changes in energy use are possible,” he said.
Motiva and Sitra are involved in the planning of the information campaign together with the Energy Agency, the Ministry of Labor and the Economy and the Ministry of the Environment.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
Source: The Nordic Page