Many people are concerned that they are indirectly supporting Putin’s war when they turn on their gas or oil heating or use electricity. According to the Federal Statistical Office, Germany transferred three billion euros to Russia for energy imports in January, the last month before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This figure is now likely to be significantly higher due to higher prices.
The Federal Environment Agency (UBA) has now calculated how much energy can be saved in the short term. And is also calling on people to actively do so.
UBA President Dirk Messner said: “The best energy is that which is not consumed at all. That has always been true – and has become even more important in the current energy crisis.” In addition, Germany would then become significantly less dependent on raw material supplies from Russia.
According to the office, private households have three main ways to save money: Turn down the heating a little, install an economy shower head and drive less or at least more slowly by car.
The Environment Agency estimates that by lowering the room temperature in all German residential and non-residential buildings by two degrees and installing the energy-saving shower heads, around ten percent of Russian natural gas can be saved.
The two degrees below zero will reduce consumption in homes by around 21 billion kilowatt hours, which corresponds to the annual consumption of final energy for space heating and hot water in Berlin and Hamburg. If hotels, restaurants and other commercial enterprises also join in, this will result in a further ten billion kilowatt hours, according to the UBA.
This corresponds to 7.5 million tons of greenhouse gases and three billion euros in energy costs, calculated at ten cents per kilowatt hour of natural gas.
People are still speeding on the highway as usual
An energy-saving shower head in turn reduces energy consumption for showers by around 30 percent because less water needs to be heated. If all Germans use this, it saves around 11.3 billion kilowatt hours of natural gas. According to the office, this corresponds to 2.6 percent of Russian natural gas imports and means around 2.8 million tons ofCO2 and 1.1 billion euros less in energy costs.
According to the UBA, around 2.5 billion liters of fuel could be saved when driving if all drivers reduced their speed to a maximum of 100 on freeways and 80 on roads outside built-up areas. That is around 4.5 percent of the fuel consumed in the transport sector, which means a 4.2 billion euro reduction in the fuel bill.
A recent analysis by data providers Inrix and Tomtom for the DPA agency shows, however, that this realization has not yet prevailed. Despite the high fuel prices of over two euros per liter, the speed level has not fallen. Especially on freeways, where it would be most worthwhile, there has been no decline.
But there is another area in which citizens can reduce dependency – food. “We are also expecting global shortages in the food and agriculture sector as a result of the war,” said Messner. The reason: Ukraine and Russia are the world’s leading exporters of wheat, and Russia is also a leading exporter of artificial fertilizers.
This has consequences for food prices. The UBA is calling for a further reduction in unnecessary food waste and points out that Germans throw away an average of around 80 kilos of food per person per year, worth 230 euros. “This really should change now.”
The mobile pictured above (TWIKE 3) runs on muscle power and electricity, the others on oil from Russia and the North Sea. (Photo: Frank Hansen/Wikimedia Commons)
Source: www.klimareporter.de, Joachim Wille
