15 to 20 percent of the gas consumed in the Netherlands comes from Russia. According to the Dutch Association of Renewable Energy (NVDE), through better tuning of heating systems, the use of energy-efficient LED lamps and more insulation, savings can be achieved within a year that are already close to what we annually import from Russia in gas. .
Because a lot of electricity in the Netherlands is generated with gas, gas savings can also be achieved by consuming less electricity.
Billions in savings
The short-term package of measures could save 4.7 billion cubic meters of gas this year. The total consumption of Russian gas in the Netherlands is according to Professor of Energy Transition Martien Visser of the Hanze University of Applied Sciences Groningen between 6 billion and 8 billion cubic meters per year,
In four years, according to the calculations save 10 billion cubic meters of gas from the NVDE; thus more than the amount of Russian gas still imported.
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Higher gas price again
The price of gas has also risen sharply due to the war in Ukraine. The European gas price set a new record on Wednesday morning. In Amsterdam, the price shot up to 60 percent to 194 euros per megawatt hour.
Later that fell back to 158 euros. Last October, the price was about 100 euros, which was a record at the time. A high gas price probably also encourages users to save more.
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Surprised by the low hanging fruit
According to the NVDE, both companies and households can easily reduce their gas consumption quickly.
“We are also surprised at how much low-hanging fruit there actually is,” says NVDE director Olof van der Gaag.
According to him, major savings can be achieved by lowering the water temperature in the heating systems from the usual 60 degrees now to 50 degrees. According to the NVDE, this means that a room can be heated just as well with less gas.
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‘Finally people see the urgency’
Due to the climate problem, there are already countless initiatives in the Netherlands to reduce energy consumption and make it greener. According to Van der Gaag, the reason why the sometimes so simple measures do not happen is ‘because the urgency is not yet great enough’.
With the war in Ukraine and the threat that the gas supply from Russia could be reduced or stopped, that urgency is now growing.
“People are also more inclined to turn down the heating now. Better cold than wrong.” Because by buying Russian gas, the country receives money with which, among other things, the war in Ukraine can be financed.
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very optimistic
According to energy expert Jilles van den Beukel of the Hague Center for Strategic Studies, the measures proposed by the NVDE ‘each and every one makes sense’. Although he finds the calculations very optimistic.
“Then everything has to go well.” He thinks that in order to free us from Russian gas, something has to change on the energy supply side as well.
Gronings gas
“Think of a higher deployment of coal-fired power stations, continue to produce gas from Groningen, a lot of liquid gas to Europe and then pay a lot more for it and not close existing power stations.”
In Germany, ken energy is being abolished and until last week the focus was on much more consumption of Russian gas. “In the longer term, we have to stimulate gas production in our own small fields.”
Need a lot of knowledge
According to Visser of the Hanze University of Applied Sciences, it requires a lot of technical knowledge and manpower to implement the plans of the NVDE.
“But it certainly makes sense to take a closer look at houses and office buildings and see how heating is set, for example. Many HR boilers are also not set properly. My preference is to start by tackling the poorly insulated houses and office buildings. “
Van der Gaag of the NVDE foresees a major role for the (local) government in quickly encouraging companies and private individuals to change their energy consumption:
“Inspection teams have to visit the companies and houses and adjust the boilers properly. And company buildings no longer have to be heated and lit in the evenings and weekends. Unfortunately, you still see that often.”
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