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?

European countries are much more reliant on Russian energy than the UK so their issues are going to be much more severe this winter.

The cost will naturally enforce people in the UK to save/reduce where they can, they don't need to be told how to turn down the thermostat when they go out - and the cost of telling people how to turn down a thermostat was going to be 15 million GBP so a great waste!

That money can now be rerouted to help those in need. To be me cancelling a ridiculous unnecessary campaign is positive action assuming most of the population are of average intelligence and can turn down a dial and a few radiators without being told to do so.

Here's a thought:

Encourage people - even those people who aren't struggling to pay - as well as businesses and local authorities to reduce their energy usage.

Which means that the taxpayer has to pay less to subsidise the cost of energy (as each unit people use is subsidised)

And then the money saved could be directed to other energy saving measures such as insulation etc - which means that we save even more.

I think that is money well invested.

Each unit of energy that business and consumers use is now being subsidised by taxpayers.

Do the soaps have any storylines at the moment about cutting energy use. Trying an air fryer or a slow cooker?
It'd be small subtle things, like Roy's Rolls doing a £1 for lunch and hot drinks special offer for anyone who can't afford the heating on. Having Rita freeze to death because she'd been frightened to put the heating on might be a step too far.

Or are they only doing murder and fraud storylines still?

Will the cost of living crisis reach Ambridge?

Er, breaking news but most businesses and households are already doing it and have been for months, have you been living under a rock op?

You usually don't need to 'encourage' people to save themselves thousands of pounds in energy, it has been on every news bulletin and in every paper since around July time.
Most people have the wherewithal to turn down the thermostat all by themselves without a campaign!

Seemingly your evaluation is that the public are so grotesquely stupid that can't manage this simple action all by themselves. Jesus christ we really don't need to burn 15M to show people how to turn a dial ffs.

Anyone struggling? Here we are folks: (15 million saved hey presto!)

www.simpleenergyadvice.org.uk/measures/meta_one_degree_reduction

Er, breaking news but most businesses and households are already doing it and have been for months, have you been living under a rock op

Er...have you seen the streets and cities where lights are still shining light at night from office blocks?

Do you think there is still energy that could be saved or do you think that everyone is pulling together and doing their bit? Or are those who can afford it still wasting it?

The Anti Tap Dancing Coalition are suppressing it. They're funded by Big Morris Dance.

Do you think there is still energy that could be saved or do you think that everyone is pulling together and doing their bit? Or are those who can afford it still wasting it?

We've just gone through several years of Greta Thunberg and save the world protests, and cutting energy and covid causing less traffic and a lowering of global temps, etc, etc, etc. If people haven't grasped through all that that they need to cut energy, would a pamphlet and a couple of ads realistically do anything? Ultimately, what do you think that managers of businesses don't understand about the rising cost of energy, dodgy supply chains and global warming that a pamphlet will change?

In Europe, there is leglisation in place.

For example - air con temperature in public buildings, temperature of hot water. lights in offices in the evening.

Basically, unless you're a billionaire (or a red wall idiot who believed all the claptrap about levelling up), whatever the Tories tell you to do, if you want to survive, let alone thrive, do the opposite.

So if they tell you NOT to worry about energy use, I'd suggest you start looking into Kelly kettles, portable (NOT disposable) barbecues, super sized flasks, insulation (including yourself), wearable blankets, hot water bottles, haybox/slow cooker/wonderbag methods of cooking, solar panels, and even solar batteries.

Take showers. Share the bathwater. Have a strip wash. Use wipes. Reuse the bathwater and washing up water as "grey" water if you can to water plants etc. Think about whether your clothes REALLY need washing. Run the washing machine when it's a full load. Don't use the tumble dryer - if you live somewhere warm and dry enough hang the washing out, if not and you're in a position to have one, get a heated drying rail or a dehumidifier with a laundry setting. Look for second hand and reconditioned (and not everyone will be able to afford one even then).

Work out what you've got that you can eat that doesn't require cooking/heating or that only requires a bit of hot water to rehydrate, and get ready to cook/do laundry etc overnight if you're in a house where you can (ie NOT a flat). If that's not an option, think about the old ways of doing things - poss tubs, scrubbing boards, mangles.

I really wish I was joking, but this is how my parents (grew up during WWII) had to live, and it's evidently what we're on the verge of going back to. Well, okay, not the solar panels, since they didn't exist, we had to make do with battery, wind up, and candles, but definitely the rest. I'm old enough - just - to remember the Winter of Discontent. In the north. When winters really were winters. Every year, not just occasionally.

Don't take everything they say as gospel, but the various prepper boards and programmes often have some very useful suggestions.

In Europe, there is leglisation in place.

For example - air con temperature in public buildings, temperature of hot water. lights in offices in the evening.

Poland is capping the price of coal and has suspended quality standards for the burning of coal to heat homes. That's another great way to save gas. Toasty warm fires.

Yep, I'm in NL. Our aim was to have storage facilities at 80% by end of October. We are already 90%+ because people have reduced consumption so made good sense for us.

I believe the cycle is that the UK exports gas/energy to the EU in Summer and imports from us in Winter - the reason being in Summer the UK generates more than it needs but has no significant storage. Problem this year is that the EU may not have enough to export back to the UK. If we have enough in NL to export for example, I imagine we'll be checking if Germany etc needs it first. From an energy point of view, I agree there's little point to UK folk conserving gas/energy now as it can't be stored away.

But to answer th OPs question: No EU governments don't know something you don't, we have the same info, but we can actually act on it, and have done.

Luckily we are so far having a very mild autumn if that carries on over the winter midi people should be fine.