Will the gas savings last, or should we let the central heating roar again? This morning, the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) announced that households used a quarter less gas last year than the previous year. 10% of this was due to the warming of the weather, and 15% to austerity measures.
TNO’s Casper Tigchelaar says there are generally two types of savings. A group of households struggling with fuel shortages turned the thermostat back to 16 degrees.
TNO found that nearly 90,000 households were living in energy poverty in two years. “With these people, we can hope they can warm up a little more to get comfortable again, but some other changes will be permanent,” says Tigchelaar.
structural changes
A second group made structural adjustments and made the boiler settings smarter, for example. “Installers often set it high to keep people warm. However, if your home is well insulated, you can keep your home warm with an indoor central heating temperature of 60 degrees instead of 80 degrees. People aren’t really going to come back.” This is now settled.”
In the Milieu Central information centre, they also see signs that the bulk of the savings can be attributed to permanent measures. “You get used to it when you realize it reduces costs, improves comfort, and makes you more independent.”
For example, with every degree that the thermostat is lowered, you will save an average of 350 euros per year. “There’s also comfort at 19 degrees, but quite a few people still get hot at 20 degrees or higher.”
fast snow packers
Insulation, in particular, is an important factor for structural savings. Gwen Jansen of Milieu Centraal says tens of thousands of homes are now better insulated due to high gas prices. In addition, tens of thousands of heat pumps have been installed, which inherently produce less gas consumption.
“Not everyone has the money for these kinds of interventions,” Jansen says. “But there are also quick wins.” For example, he talks about sealing cracks and joints, closing doors, or a drawbar for mailbox covers. “It also takes away the heat.”
Martien Visser, an energy expert at Hanze University of Applied Sciences in Groningen, also underlines that many people are interested in insulation. “Knowing what helps ensure that even if gas is released, some of the gas demand does not return structurally.”
good for wellbeing
Meanwhile, the price of gas has dropped a bit, but is still more than twice as high as it was two years ago. In any case, Visser says, these slightly lower prices have yet to lead to a change in consumer behavior. “January fits perfectly into the mold of the last quarter of last year. People aren’t warming up yet.”
Therefore, experts say that some of the accumulations are permanent, partly due to habit. “People who take shorter showers may continue to do so as it becomes normal,” says Tigchelaar. “The research was done in California, where people have to use less electricity due to intermittent grid overload. After that, consumption also decreased.”
“Imagine if households could keep half of their savings, then the Netherlands could save about one billion cubic meters of gas,” says Visser. “Then we need to import less from abroad so that the money can stay here. And that is good for the welfare of the Netherlands.”
Source: NOS
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
