Full speed ahead with the storages. Maximization of the 7 existing coal and oil plants. Squeezed on winter heating between private homes, businesses and offices, but without touching hospitals and the like. Yes, but that’s not all.
A “co-star” role among the solutions outlined by the Government to reduce the risks associated with a potential total interruption of flows from Russia during the winter and to respond to European requests in terms of reducing consumption lies with them: the ” behavioral measures at no cost “, the effectiveness of which, in terms of lower gas consumption (an estimated cut of another 2.9 billion cubic meters), will depend on how much the awareness campaign that the Ministry of Ecological Transition is preparing to launch will be able to scratch the habits of the Italians.
Behavioral measures at no cost
What are we talking about? On this point, the national plan for the containment of gas consumption for the period 1 August 2022 is clear: reduction of the temperature and duration of showers, use also for winter heating of electric heat pumps used for summer air conditioning, lowering of the fire after boiling and reducing the oven ignition time, using the dishwasher and washing machine at full load, disconnecting the washing machine power plug when not in use, switching off or inserting the low-consumption function of the refrigerator when on vacation, do not leave TV, decoder, DVD on standby, reducing the hours of switching on the bulbs. If this is the range of solutions, it is a question of understanding, in practice, what savings will be encountered once these strategies are implemented.
The indications of Enea
The government squeeze on heating is worth a saving of 178.63 euros on the annual bill. If we add to this the consumption reduction behaviors suggested by the plan prepared by the Ministry of Ecological Transition, we add another 428.75 euros: in total a possible saving – able to compensate and in some cases to cancel the increases in the bill – which is worth 607 , 58 euros. To make the accounts is a document of ENEA, which collaborated in the preparation of the plan of Minister Roberto Cingolani.
In the context of voluntary no-cost behaviors, the “virtuous” ones, the lion’s share of savings is made by reducing the time and temperature of the shower: if instead of 7 minutes you limit yourself to 5 and lower the water temperature here that consumption is reduced by 35% and is worth 252.23 euros saved. Clearly, lowering the heat after boiling the pasta is worth less: 12.46 euros. Halving the use of the washing machine (one every two days instead of one a day) and the dishwasher (once a day instead of two) allows you to reduce your electricity bill by 52.29 and 74.69 euros respectively. Then there are small savings which, added together, can have a value: unplug the washing machine (1.58 euros), the refrigerator during the holidays (3.42 euros), do not leave TV, decoder and DVD on standby (4 , 53 euros), reduce the ignition of the kitchen oven (13.78 euros) be careful to turn off the light by reducing each single bulb by one hour a day (11.92 euros).