Germany must reduce gas consumption by 30%: Study

BERLIN 

If Germany does not reduce its energy consumption by 30%, the country’s energy supply will not be secure, and its goal of climate neutrality by 2045 will also be in jeopardy, said a study by the government-funded Copernicus Project Ariadne.

During the presentation of the study in Berlin on Thursday, Gunnar Luderer, the vice director of the Ariadne project, said: “30% of pre-crisis gas consumption needs to come down.”

He added: “We can also use this to limit gas prices and remaining import dependencies to a tolerable level.”

This is the only way Germany can secure its energy sovereignty in the short term and “increase its geopolitical resilience again,” he said.

According to the study, energy security and climate protection are compatible. However, this requires a change in consumption behavior. In the case of private gas customers, the study does not show any significant savings in gas consumption.

Christoph Kost, a scientist from the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, advocated for lowering the room temperature by one or two degrees.

The heating should only be used as needed and should no longer be a continuous operation. In addition, he called for “intelligent heating controllers”. According to Kost, the greatest potential for reducing gas consumption in the short term lies in changing heating behavior at home.

The results of the study also showed that the industry is “significantly more sensitive” to high energy prices. Industrial gas use in 2022 was down 20% from the previous year.

Germany is facing the biggest energy crisis ever due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, which led to disruptions in the oil and gas supply and pushed energy prices to record highs.

• Energy Crisis
• Germany