The world’s energy watchdog has stated that families in Britain should turn down their heating by a degree to cut down Western reliance on Russian gas.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) said its ten-point plan would cut gas imports from Russia to the European Union by more than a third in the coming year.
It said that the average thermostat in European buildings is set at 22C. By adjusting thermostats by 1C, the West would save about 10 billion cubic metres of gas within a year, if implemented alongside other measures including a windfall tax on fossil fuel companies.
Fatih Birol, the IEA’s executive director, said that nobody was under any illusions anymore and that Russia’s use of its natural gas resources as an economic and political spear showed that Europe needed to act quickly to be ready to face considerable uncertainty over Russian gas supplies next winter.
The watchdog has also advised the West not to sign any new gas agreements with Russia’s state-owned energy company Gazprom, or to renew expiring contracts.
Its ten-point plan, published on Thursday, also proposes setting a minimum obligation on energy companies to store gas, speeding up the replacement of gas boilers with heat pumps, and seeking alternative gas supplies from elsewhere in the world.
Gas prices have skyrocketed to record levels in recent months after Vladimir Putin dramatically reduced supplies to Europe ahead of the invasion of Ukraine.
Barbara Pompili, minister for ecological transition for France, holder of the EU’s revolving presidency, said that more than ever, getting rid of Russian fossil fuels and of fossil fuels, in general, was essential and that what was at stake was both the need to accelerate the fight against climate change, and as they could now see, the short term energy security of the European continent.
The European Commission will use the IEA’s proposal to inform its own plan of action on energy in response to the war, to be published next week.
Kadri Simson, the EU’s energy commissioner, called Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a watershed moment in the shift away from gas.
According to Unison, UK imports of Russian gas have doubled since 2018 and despite an embargo on Russian owned ships anchoring in British ports, two carrying it are expected to arrive at the Isle of Grain in Kent this weekend.
The most foolish thing that Britain did was to stop producing our own energy to use other country’s energy, now we’re paying the price for being stupid.
But let’s get to really where the blame lies. Our short-sighted government virtue signalling, telling the world how good we are at reducing our energy input, but of course, Boris Johnson and his eco wife won’t be affected by the cost as they get everything for almost nothing, and it’s extremely easy making decisions for other people when it doesn’t actually affect them.
And don’t they realise that numerous people already have their heating down as low as possible because of the price growth, and there are many people who can’t afford to turn their heating on at all. It’s amusing how people that have no money troubles can always find a way to make you sacrifice and suffer.
People are giving, while the government take, take, take, while MP’s give themself a pay rise and claim their energy bills on expenses while telling OAPs that the triple lock and a five pounds a week pay rise was unaffordable on a state pension of £9,000. What is it that George Orwell said? “All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.”
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 