Governments across Europe are telling people and businesses to reduce energy use. Do they know something we don't?

[cakeorwine]

It feels like Covid again. Warning signs of an issue. But no action taken.

I know there are people who will reduce usage because of the increased costs.

But there is still a lot of waste and things where energy usage can be reduced to ensure that we have enough gas and electricity available during a demanding winter.

The media has advice on reducing use. There are schemes to encourage people to use electricity outside of peak time.

But shouldn't the Government be leading on this?

But, if this is simply an exercise in supply and demand logistics - and not a Trojan environmental horse - given how little there is by way of storage facilities in this country, why would it make sense to cut usage now and not simply when we are reduced to what remains in storage and wind/solar generation?

Where do you think we get our gas from?

If we reduce our use now, then there will be more available for where we get it from should there be problems with supply.

It will also reduce the cost of gas if the demand is reduced. And that willl reduce the cost to the taxpayer

8kwh generator and I live less than a mile from. Fuel station.

sorted for almost everything

That's nice

There no problem with gas supply now. We have little by way of storage facilities. It's like making a principle of saving food for later when there's no room in the freezer - you may as well eat it.

The tories are very laissez faire (libertarian?) until the point at which they need to react. Unfortunately it is too difficult to predict what that point is until it is passed.

It's where the gas comes from.

You do understand that we rely on other countries to import gas as well as our own supplies.

If we reduced our usage, that will help them reduce the amount they need to send to us, so it can either be stored for when we do need it - or for them to supply to other countries who also need it.

Unless there are other people who also need the food and the butcher only has a limited amount of meat, so could increase the price.

Which podcast was it please?

Yes, we produce 50% ourselves and 50% is imported by America, Norway and 'other sources' .

Say we used less now and those suppliers supplied that excess gas - achieved at the price of our own economy and, we, less stunted growth - do you think they'll give us more back in December when we need it for being such good eggs?

Supplied that excess gas (missing words) to other countries, do you think...

It will ensure that if other countries - especially in Europe, are competing for it, then there is more to go around and the price will not be as high as the demand is lower.

We also do have our own storage facilities - so anything we can do to ensure that we conserve it is a good thing.

If other European countries took the same attitude and said 'fuck it, we can't get gas from Russia, let's buy it from elsewhere' - what do you think happens to the already high gas price?

We have some, but not much, enough for about five days in winter iirc.

Great.

So we could eak it out a bit more.

To reduce the chance of blackouts.

Bollocks. So, if we give up the gas contracted to us, and reduce our growth capacity, the rest of Europe will what...stick it in a storage facility to be used carefully only for worthy causes? And we'll get more gas later, when we need it - pretty please?

Yes, absolutely, it makes a lot of sense to reduce gas consumption then and eek it out. It makes no supply and demand logistical sense to reduce consumption now.

Europe is also taking steps to reduce gas consumption.
So their demand is going to be lower.

So the 'butcher' as it were will have more gas available for when the demand is higher.

Also - reducing the usage will reduce the cost to the taxpayer - as every unit of gas and electricity we are using is being subsidised by the taxpayer. By borrowing.

So reducing that usage will also reduce the cost of the borrowing.

Yes, because they have room in their storage facilities to squirrel away energy now - to use in winter. It makes sense for them to reduce consumption now.

I do not blame the government. Everything here is taken to extreme hysteria. The left would use to destabilise even more.

Also - reducing the usage will reduce the cost to the taxpayer - as every unit of gas and electricity we are using is being subsidised by the taxpayer. By borrowing

Right, so we are telling people that they should reduce their consumption now to reduce the chance of blackouts...which is bollocks. When instead what you mean is to reduce consumption now to reduce national debt.

So, we'll just frighten people into conformity, instead of explaining the aim properly?

What are the odds that the posters who don't want to conserve energy are Conservative voters?

Can you imagine the threads on here! Washing machines on at night!!

Frankly anyone who is not aware of the need to save energy by now is not going to be persuaded by some government campaign.

What do you think would happen if we reduced our gas and electrity consumption now?
We would need to import less expensive gas - which we use to heat our homes, generate our electricity, and we would have less demand for it. Which would have an impact on the gas price and also the electricity price.

The taxpayer is subsidising the gas price and the electricity price. Businesses will also be paying much more in 4 months time when that subsidy is removed.

It would be a good thing to reduce the cost of that subsidy as well as ensuring that the limited supplies due to the Russian invasion are enough to go around

Op, where I live there used to be great big gas storage, they went up and down depending on how much gas was in them. About 8(ish time flies) years ago they were sold off and demolished. The locals actually campaigned to keep them.