In an attempt to become more independent of Russian gas, the Ministry of Climate Protection and electricity network operator APG presented a new online tool on Thursday that households and companies can use to make targeted savings on electricity. The aim is to reduce power consumption at peak times, so that less gas is needed overall. This should increase security of supply and also have a price-pressing effect in the medium term.
From now on, the Ministry of Climate Protection and APG (Austrian Power Grid) will publish daily on the website energie.gv.at at which times of the following day it makes the most sense to save electricity.
In concrete terms, these are the times when the power consumption of households and companies is so high that it can no longer be covered by renewable energy and gas-fired power stations must be switched on. Peak times in Austria are generally on weekdays in the morning from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM and in the early evening from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM.
Data is up to date
APG calculates the hours when it makes the most sense to save electricity on the basis of data on electricity production, such as the wind situation or the water supply in the rivers, electricity imports and electricity consumption. The grid can be relieved by shifting activities that use electricity to the off-peak hours of the day as much as possible.
It would already help to consciously switch on the washing machine, dryer or dishwasher to different times of the day. “If you have the option, for example, not to start the dryer when consumption is high, but to move it to 8 p.m. or 9 p.m., that would help enormously,” says APG CEO Gerhard Christiner.
All in all “lots of potential”
“That may sound like little for the individual consumer or household, but overall, for the entire population, there is potential,” says Christiner. According to the Ministry of Climate Protection and APG, the tool must save 5 percent on electricity consumption at peak times. Much has already been achieved: “If we reach 5 percent, the stress test also showed that we are back in the green even in our critical scenarios,” says the APG board member.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
