The efforts requested by the EU Commissioner from households are part of the European plan to reduce gas consumption by 15%.
In order to spend the winter without energy problems, Brussels is also asking households to make an effort. Thierry Breton, EU Commissioner for the Internal Market, recommended on Wednesday evening to turn down the heating a bit next winter.
“I urge all our French compatriots and our fellow Europeans this summer for those who have air conditioning not to turn it up too high and then maybe turn it down by a degree or two in winter. , or three degrees the temperature,” he told BFM Business.
Because, according to the former French minister, individuals can help the EU to achieve its goal of reducing gas consumption. At the end of July, the European Commission asked member states to reduce it by 15% between August 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023 compared to their average consumption over the past five years. And this in order to counter an imminent stop in Russian gas supplies and thus avoid electricity or gas rationing measures.
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The Japanese example
“It’s not a requirement, it’s a recommendation. We’ll see if it ever has to become mandatory,” said Thierry Breton on Wednesday. Everyone involved is called upon to participate in the effort: individuals, but also electricity suppliers, industrialists and even public administrations.
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This target of reducing gas consumption by 15% and the efforts that households have to make to heat are based on a historical example, said the Commissioner. “We took these numbers because we are history educated. In Japan, when there was the Fukushima disaster, […] the Japanese decided to temporarily freeze the operation of their nuclear power plants. […] It was decided at the time, not like us, it is now again a recommendation to reduce household consumption by 15%. It consisted of lowering the temperature by 2 to 3 degrees in winter,” he explained. For Thierry Breton, “these are doable things, but you have to be disciplined”.
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