“Do we want peace or do we want to have the air conditioner on this summer?” Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi asked his compatriots a few days ago, referring to the fact that the Russian state is being fed by European imports of oil and gas. Past weekend the Dutch government issued a similar appeal: reduce the heating in offices and houses by two degrees in order to save energy and reduce dependence on Russian energy.
Kalavasta . Research Agency calculated how much the Netherlands spends on Russian gas every day: 30 million euros per day. That is converted almost 2 euros per person.
Citizens and companies are therefore held accountable for their gas consumption. Businesses and citizens are trying to reduce their energy consumption where possible, but Russian gas will continue to flow to Europe for the time being.
Gas is in almost everything
Compared to other EU countries, the Netherlands imports little Russian gas, about 15 percent. “But because we have a European gas market, that does not immediately make us less dependent on Russia,” says Machiel Mulder, professor of energy economics at the University of Groningen.
“Gas, and therefore Russian gas, is in almost everything, so you can’t get around it,” says Mulder. Gas is not only used to heat houses or for cooking, but it also enters indirectly through electricity and products. For example, most greenhouses in the Netherlands run on gas, so vegetables and flowers also depend on it.
Mulder: “A lot of our electricity is still produced by gas-fired power stations. We light our country with it and use it to make steel, aluminum and food, among other things. A lot of our electricity and products come from abroad, on which they are also very dependent. of Russian gas.”
Burger can contribute
Living without Russian gas is therefore difficult, also because the origin of gas is unclear. Mulder: “All the gas is mixed together and then distributed in the network. Only with green gas do you know that it is not Russian, but we have very little of that in the Netherlands.”
Energy expert Kees van der Leun believes that structural measures should be taken to reduce dependence on Russian gas. “The citizen certainly plays a role in this.” He thinks that things will only really change if the government sets a good example and the citizen contributes.”
Since the war in Ukraine, Van der Leun has lowered the thermostat by 1.5 degrees. “I’ve always been frugal with the use of the car and my heating, but the fact that my money is used to pay for a war adds a little extra.” It’s not really satisfying. “It’s a terrible situation, but you’re glad you can do something.”
Someone who gives tips on how to reduce energy consumption is Kelly Schwegler-Rotertson. At the !WOON foundation, she manages about a hundred voluntary energy coaches. On behalf of !WOON she is participating in a meeting in Amsterdam about reducing energy consumption. The municipality is taking the lead. “The temperature in municipal buildings is now 18 degrees, which means we save 15 percent. We are calling on companies to do the same,” says sustainability councilor Marieke van Doorninck (GroenLinks).
Also present at the meeting are the Zuidas – to see if the lights can be turned off in the evening – and the Johan Cruijff ArenA and Schiphol, both large consumers.
“You make a difference with it, but it is only part of the story,” says Van Doorninck. “We can call on people to lower the heating, but some already have it turned off because of the high energy prices. This is a collective problem, which we must also solve in this way. We must not only save energy, but also actively help people to be able to do this.”
But even with all these efforts, according to Professor Mulder, it will take at least a few more years before we get rid of Russian gas. “We are still very dependent on gas, and therefore on Russian gas.”
–
