How gas consumption has changed after the Russia-Ukraine war
The gas crisis with Russia has pushed Europe to improve energy efficiency and increase heat pump installations. The Guardian article
The Ukraine crisis has marked a turning point for gas consumption in Europe, which is expected to fall again this year as homes and businesses adopt efficiency improvements and heat pumps, according to the global body energy control. The Guardian writes.
HOW MUCH GAS CONSUMPTION DECREASES
A report from the International Energy Agency found that the continent's developed economies reduced gas consumption by 15% in 2022, after Russia cut off flows following the invasion.
European homes and businesses reduced their gas demand by a further 9% in the first three quarters of this year, which could lead to a continued reduction in gas demand in coming years, the IEA said.
The IEA found that around 40% of the savings were the result of last winter's mild weather, but most were driven by increased demand for electric heat pumps and efficiency improvements.
The IEA expects the same trend to emerge in the US, after the Biden administration included energy efficiency upgrades in its $369 billion (£291 billion) green stimulus package.
US homes and businesses are expected to reduce gas use by about 1% per year between 2022 and 2026, despite access to vast domestic reserves, thanks to increased efficiency and the introduction of pumps. of heat which will help reduce carbon emissions caused by gas heating.
IMPROVING ENERGY EFFICIENCY
The IEA has highlighted the need to improve energy efficiency if global governments hope to reach their climate goals just days before the start of the Cop28 climate summit in the United Arab Emirates, which starts on Thursday.
Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the IEA, said: “The world's climate ambitions depend on our ability to make the global energy system much more efficient. If governments want to keep the 1.5°C target within reach, while supporting energy security, it is crucial that we double down on energy efficiency progress this decade.”
“The findings of this report are a clear warning to the leaders who will soon gather at the COP28 climate conference in Dubai: everyone must commit to taking stronger efficiency actions and making them happen.”
According to the IEA, the UK improved its energy efficiency by around 7% last year, lagging behind neighboring countries such as the Netherlands, Ireland and France, which all saw improvements of at least 12%.
Consumer campaigners fear the UK government's failure to prioritize policies to improve energy efficiency means millions of households will be forced to go without heating this winter.
ENERGY POVERTY
A survey conducted by YouGov for the fuel poverty charity National Energy Action found that 41% of pay meter customers – the equivalent of around 2 million households – found themselves without credit on their pay meter payment and has not been able to access energy for the last three months.
The survey also found that 43% of adults chose to go to bed early to stay warm, 13% used appliances such as an oven to heat the home and 23% left curtains closed all day or he put newspapers on the windows to keep out the cold.
(Extract from the eprcommunication press review)
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/energia/calo-consumi-gas-europa-2022/ on Sun, 03 Dec 2023 06:45:32 +0000.