Switzerland could save a third of its electricity consumption – without sacrificing comfort. But there is a problem with efficiency.
The cheapest and cleanest electricity is the electricity that you don’t need at all. Studies show that we could save around a third of current electricity consumption in Switzerland with simple measures and without loss of comfort.
So far, however, this potential – unlike in many other countries – has hardly been used. In view of the impending power shortage, the federal government’s campaign last autumn only resulted in savings of around five percent instead of the targeted ten percent.
Electricity suppliers must achieve savings targets
The federal government therefore wants to tighten the screw. The Swiss electricity suppliers are now supposed to ensure that electricity is saved or used more efficiently. That is currently in the text of the revised energy law that the National Council is deliberating this week.
Legend:
The energy label shows which devices use the least electricity. With the most modern devices, there is immense potential for savings.
Keystone/Gatean Bally
In concrete terms, the electricity companies must show savings of a maximum of two percent compared to the amount of electricity they had sold in the previous winter. Patrick Hofstetter, Head of Climate and Energy at WWF Switzerland, would have liked to see an even more ambitious goal.
After all, experiences from other countries show that this savings target is easy to achieve, he says. Therefore, this is certainly a “sensible first step”.
The electricity industry is fighting back
On the other hand, Michael Frank doesn’t find the template useful at all. He is director of the Association of the Swiss Electricity Industry VSE. Frank regrets that only the current is being targeted here. One would have to save on all energy sources, he emphasizes.
That’s the current power consumption
Because with the electrification of heating systems – via heat pumps – and with the switch to electrically powered means of transport, more electricity is needed overall than today. Overall, however, after the complete decarbonisation of the energy sector – ie the abandonment of oil, gas and diesel and the replacement of these with electricity – the total amount of energy consumed in Switzerland will be halved. This was shown by the figures from the VSE.
The mere fact that oil, gas, diesel and petrol are replaced by electricity saves a lot of energy, says Frank. This is mainly because electric cars use energy much more efficiently than petrol and diesel engines. It is therefore wrong to start exclusively with electricity.
New opportunities for electricity suppliers?
Patrick Hofstetter from the WWF would also welcome it if savings targets similar to those for electricity were to apply to all energy sources. However, the proposed regulation is very good as a first step.
He doesn’t understand the opposition in the electricity industry. “Because the requirement is a huge opportunity for the electricity companies to continue growing,” Hofstetter is convinced. In this way, a new market is created and opportunities for new services or customer loyalty are opened up.
With the planned savings measures, the Swiss economy could save about as much electricity as Parliament intends to produce with the accelerated expansion of solar energy in the mountain areas, the so-called Solar Express. Saving would be significantly cheaper.