The energy price hike, which started even before the war, highlights the importance of how we use energy. 75% of buildings in the EU are not energy efficient, yet 85-95% of today’s buildings will remain in use in 2050. The European Green Deal has identified renovating public and private buildings as an essential action (and the European Climate Pact argues that every building in the EU could be green). What should be the burden sharing of costs between public and private owners and what’s the citizens’ penalty or dividend?
Energy security and a drive towards renewables is also necessary to hit international climate targets and make Europe climate neutral by 2050. Governments, private sector, and citizens will need to work together, but there is plenty that households can do to help boost efficiency and save energy!
Want to learn more about how individual actions might collectively help us fight climate change? Check out our infographic below (click for a bigger version):
What do our readers think? We had video questions on this topic sent in from Milan and Marie, as well as text questions from Xouav (who asked if rising energy prices might make renewable alternatives for households, such as heat pumps, more competitive); EU Reform Proactive (who asks what’s wrong with the old-fashioned – and cheaper – approach of wearing warmer clothing and using hot water bottles when it’s cold); and Roberta (who wonders how can households help tackle the energy and climate crisis, given many people rent and don’t have a say on solar panels).
To get responses, we put these questions to:
- Robert Dijksterhuis, Special Envoy for Sustainable Building at the Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations
- Katharina Habersbrunner, Board Member and Team Leader for Sustainable Energy and Climate Solutions at Women Engage for a Common Future
- Magdalena Maj, Leader Energy and Climate Team at the Polish Economic Institute
- Ugis Rotbergs, Member of the Riga City Council and European Climate Pact Ambassador
- Micha Sörgel, Spokesperson of the Working Group on Energy and Climate at the German Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation Bavaria
You can see their responses in the video at the top of this post!
Do you want to get involved? Sign up to the European Climate Pact and pledge to take practical steps to help reduce carbon pollution on our planet.
What do YOU think? How can households help tackle the energy and climate crisis? What should be the burden sharing of costs between public and private owners and what’s the citizens’ penalty or dividend? Let us know your thoughts and comments in the form below and we’ll take them to policymakers and experts for their reactions!
IMAGE CREDITS: BigStock – (c) elenathewise
Editorially independent content supported by: European Commission. See our FAQ for more details. The European Commission (DG CLIMA) does not request, collect nor otherwise process any personal data from this webpage, neither directly nor indirectly. Only aggregated and anonymised data are provided to the European Commission. Any data provided by the contributor (you) fall under the sole application of the Privacy Statement of Debating Europe who is exclusive Data Controller for all processing of personal data, if any.
141 comments Post a commentcomment
Easy to deal with the situation. First acknowledge that there is no life threatening climate crisis in Europe, secondly acknowledge that the price hikes on energy is politician-made through sanctions meant to hurt your own population, and move on from there. The rest of the world is laughing at the stupidity of the mostly western European countries and to some degree the US.
Arne Jensen Reneweables has grown to 30% of the electricity production worldwide.https://theconversation.com/the-97-climate-consensus-is-over-now-its-well-above-99-and-the-evidence-is-even-stronger-than-that-170370
[PHOTO] https://external-vie1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/safe_image.php?w=396&h=195&url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.theconversation.com%2Ffiles%2F428997%2Foriginal%2Ffile-20211028-17-1z114vn.jpg%3Fixlib%3Drb-1.1.0%26rect%3D0%252C411%252C6252%252C3126%26q%3D45%26auto%3Dformat%26w%3D1356%26h%3D668%26fit%3Dcrop&ext=emg0&utld=theconversation.com&_nc_oe=70501&_nc_sid=505865&_nc_o2e=1&ccb=3-6&_nc_hash=AQHAXnCZrCB2l2lz
Change to a green/renewable energy provider and reduce heating consumption (only heat the rooms that you are in at a given moment)
How?
If one has cold feet while trying to fall asleep in a chilly bedroom (=healthy)- a hot water bottle with Eurovision TV on- does wonder!
Also, do not forget to check one’s “thyroid gland” functions normally, or ask granny- she knows everything!
“The European (political) Green Deal”- goal setting 2030- 2050 & beyond…….
• emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050
• economic growth decoupled from resource use
• no person and no place left behind
Q: Is that S.M.A.R.T.?
Are these EU advertised goals Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and attainable within their time frame?
Does this particular DE question refer to the EU27 or the European47 households? Sorry, they always manage to confuse me!
A quick glance at the attached 2020 Eurostat pie chart reveals that households in the EU27 represent 28% of the “EU’s” total. (Not the European total)
72% of EU consumption remains unaccounted. (“no place to be left behind”?)
Note: I trust Eurostat- not its politicians!
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Energy_statistics_-_an_overview#Final_energy_consumption
Why not request that all sovereign national governments and the Brussel EU should take the lead to implement these great energy proposals on all their public= owned buildings/structures/parliaments (=schools, hospitals, museums, army barracks, state & official residencies- followed by the industry & businesses and last not least the 28% (private) households?
Hint:
The KSA could out-export Putin’s Russia by neutralising its gas & oil reserves by producing and transporting Saudi solar electricity over thousand of km’s “state of the art” transmission lines and/or underground cables using the latest & emerging technologies.
https://aip.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/1.5098016?af=R&feed=most-recent
Choice: Can/should one rely on Saudi solar or Putin’s gas/oil reserves?
Did I remember a cost figure of around 1c/kWh? But I might be wrong.
The Swiss ABB does it:
https://www.electricalindia.in/hitachi-abb-power-grids-commissions-new-uhvdc-transmission-line/
Should this come true- No more hot water bottles nor granny’s advice would be required.
When Green policies are being made by the Oiligarchy our energy and climate crisis will continue. Scrap the committees set up by the likes of Maurice Strong and start all over again.
Great tips these, thanks for sharing 🙏🏼 We can all do better and shared knowledge and motivation makes that a bit easier 😁 What is the key point in blocking out the sun during the summer? 🤓💚✌🏻
James Ryan is that a conspiracy theory?
Use less energy, drive less and slower, don’t fly, switch things off, etc. We can individually and collectively make a difference.
Nigel you know that actually container ships are burning the same amount of fuel per year that is used by 400mln passenger cars? You wanna be green – start from the top.
Nigel No.
Do you know the history of Mr Strong or the history of the Green committees and who sets them up? It may shock you.
The best thing households could do is to realize that climate is not something that their politicians can control.And to demand that politicians make decisions that actually serves the peoples interests instead of them pretending to save the world by ruining the economy.
Escrologie écologique de ecolo
EU
Oui et alors ?
En Francais même si je suis trilingue que vient faire cette pub en Anglais ? Les Amis anglais ont quitté l’UE donc votre pub, c’est en Francais en Allemand en Espagnol polonais en Italien…
Get new Government
Easy, exit EU and there is no crisis no more!!!EXIT EU!!! Is the way forward!! The EU and Amerika are making the crisis just that they can get more taxes of us!!!
👏👏👏
Using new technologies and inventing new technologies…
Här kan du läsa om solenergi och elbilar:”Batterier skapar inte el – de lagrar el som produceras på annat håll, särskilt genom kol, uran, naturgasdrivna kraftverk eller dieseldrivna generatorer. ” Så påståendet att en elbil är ett nollutsläppsfordon stämmer inte alls.Eftersom fyrtio procent av den el som produceras i USA kommer från kolkraftverk är alltså fyrtio procent av elbilarna på vägen kolbaserade.Men det är inte allt. Ni som är peppade på elbilar och en grön revolution borde titta närmare på batterierna, men även vindkraftverk och solpaneler.Ett typiskt elbilsbatteri väger tusen pund, ungefär lika stort som en resväska. Den innehåller 25 pund litium, sextio pund nickel, 44 pund mangan, 30 pund kobolt, 200 pund koppar och 400 pund aluminium, stål och plast. Det finns över 6 000 individuella litiumjonceller inuti.För att göra varje BEV-batteri behöver du bearbeta 25 000 pund salt för litium, 30 000 pund malm för kobolt, 5 000 pund harts för nickel och 25 000 pund malm från koppar. Sammanlagt måste du gräva fram 500 000 pund jordskorpa för ett batteri. “Det största problemet med solsystem är kemikalierna som används för att förvandla silikat till det kisel som används för panelerna. För att producera tillräckligt rent kisel måste det behandlas med saltsyra, svavelsyra, fluorväte, triklorotan och aceton.Dessutom behövs gallium, arsenid, koppar-indium-galliumdiselenid och kadmiumtellurid som också är mycket giftiga. Kiselstoft utgör en fara för arbetarna och plattorna kan inte återvinnas.Vindkraftverk är icke-plusultra vad gäller kostnad och miljöförstöring. Varje väderkvarn väger 1 688 ton (motsvarande vikten av 23 hus) och innehåller 1300 ton betong, 295 ton stål, 48 ton järn, 24 ton glasfiber och de svårvinnande sällsynta jordarna Neodym, Praseodym och Dysprosium. Var och en av de tre bladen väger 81 000 pund och har en livslängd på 15 till 20 år, varefter de måste bytas ut. Vi kan inte återvinna använda rotorblad.Dessa tekniker kan visserligen ha sin plats, men man måste se bortom myten om utsläppsfrihet.”Going Green” kanske låter som ett utopiskt ideal, men om du tittar på de dolda och inbäddade kostnaderna på ett realistiskt och opartiskt sätt, kommer du att upptäcka att “Going Green” gör mer skada på jordens miljö än det verkar. Har.Jag är inte emot gruvdrift, elfordon, vind- eller solenergi. Men jag visar verkligheten i situationen.Kopierat/klistat självklart. Jag uppmanar dig att skicka texten vidare. https://www.linkedin.com/…/urn:li:activity…
[PHOTO] https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2F…%2Furn%3Ali%3Aactivity&h=AT2IPY4Jtbm4MZ141KQxAIfmwXhINipzMla8Q7EH8j5INKPQ8UW_CJoqjRn1yC1grz2tXMpeNqHnwnTl2UljoIUOpsAG1wgysxpl0s6XCnSzndFruRjF6dyWJjn0OFppLb5lvU6A9k3Myh3IYExDa1IcNixwEY9k&s=1
There is no climate crisis
Go backwards several hundred years and wipe out progress of human civilization, it should do it.
Już po elkologi. Pazerność nierobów rządowych święci triumfy.
avec le coût de la vie qui augmente à une vitesse incroyable, peu de gens seront confiants d’investir de l’argent qu’ils n’ont pas dans un projet aussi coûteux. Juste pour s’endetter davantage
Lock up all leftists, WEF and so on
100% of the EU administration is not efficient in any way whatsoever. Get rid of this and save the people billions. Money to spare to tackle the artificially created energy crisis!
we cant , enviromental taxes are slowly killing us
– Green wave in cities so thst cars dont have to stop and start.- If pedestrians see just 1-2 cars they better let them go instead of forcing drivers to stop.- Work from home or from co-working spot.- Buy lockaly, but also keep prises lower in small shops to gain more local customers- Buy seazonal products in right seazons
Stefan Verreth It’s tough to govern something that speaks dozens of different languages in a way that’s not cumbersome, detached, elitist, and full of administrative overhead.
I like the debate about … Which of you has already installed a solar panel? It can be simplified by 50%. you only need to change the type of attachment and plating. Unnecessarily complicated and expensive for many people. Don’t have creative designers (constructeurs) ?
Hello Jan,
since you’re asking & before we can have a meaningful discussion- please disclose whether you have any experience in investing in a PV installation on your premises & for your household needs?
Of course, one’s motivation, details about size, type, capacity & eventual % monthly savings & amortisation of such a PV solar unit do matter!
To install a (1) solar panel (capacity?) is meaningless!
Kind regards
👏👏👏
👍👍👍
Drill for more oil.
Kristian Fredriksson fossil fuels kill 8 million people yearly. It is beyond stupid to encourage using them more
Brak zysku dla inwestorów!
Grow our own food.
In 2037, flying vehicles will probably be available to the public in China, the first Chinese will start colonizing Mars. In the EU, we will start digging dugouts, there will be training and subsidies for making clay pots and shit and fern huts
Yeh the energy hoax… . Where does all that energy from your socket come from? THINK !!!
Ireen Arends What are you implying?
Kryspin Leniarska All those electric cars must have power, right? And that power is generated by a coal-fired power station or biomass power station (powered by TREES). So it’s all BS
Should’ve thought about buildings energy efficiency at the planning stage you fools
Do you mean the Climate Crisis they are Creating ? By not falling for your lies and by going off grid ! We will fend for ourselves and each other ! Thanks
Sharon Settle Nobody is creating the climate crisis. It is real and has been proven countless times. Stop posting bullshit on Facebook because other dumbasses take your words and run with them to the voting booth
Mental warfare in full effect.
Bieten Bakker Watch out i saw “them” in front of your house. You better board up the windows and put on your little tin foil hat!
Kryspin Leniarska Wow, so original. Good one
but they ARE controlling the weather though !!!!!!
Aus Südostasien wurde neulich von einem Jutegebinde berichtet, welches auf der Unterseite zusammen genäht wurde. Gefüllt war es mit der Sorte Oryza sativa (auch Reis genannt), es soll seinen Schwerpunkt so verlagert haben, dass es von der vertikalen in die horizontale Position wechselte… stellt euch das mal vor https://media1.tenor.co/images/1711f46bd9a26da5458f6fb884636cf3/tenor.gif?ver=1112&c=VjFfZmFjZWJvb2tfd2ViY29tbWVudHM&itemid=17932532
[PHOTO] https://external-msp1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/safe_image.php?w=396&h=396&url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia1.tenor.co%2Fimages%2F1711f46bd9a26da5458f6fb884636cf3%2Ftenor.gif%3Fver%3D1112%26c%3DVjFfZmFjZWJvb2tfd2ViY29tbWVudHM%26itemid%3D17932532&ext=jpg&utld=tenor.co&_nc_oe=70502&_nc_sid=867500&_nc_o2e=1&ccb=3-6&_nc_hash=AQGxiOFPZ_mROtTq
by protesting against irrational governmental decisions. Politicians are clearly aiming at destroying their own citizens. Meanwhile China is building over 150 nuclear powerplants. This is how you tackle it. Not forcing to close coal mining and arranging only one source of gas for the entire continent.
Mon Anthony and how is building nuclairs plants in the UK going ?
Mon Anthony China is not building 150 new nukes. You’re out by about an order of magnitude.
You know what I’m going to do with the absurd EU messares? I’m going to warm muself by burning wood. As all those EU mesurements make it allmost impossible to live normal and to warm me and my fammely in winter, I will switch from gas and electricity to wood. But.. but..that’s more CO2 you say, yes indeed but I don’t give a shxt. Every time the EU and the national governments force me to follow their “green deals”, I will search for a way to get by without bringing myself to the ground. And if that means doing things who are worse for the climat, I won’t give a shxt.
GP Peeters Get a heat pump. It’s cheaper than burning wood. That’s what they’re trying to do
Z jednej strony pier… o ekologii, fotowoltaice a z drugiej strony pozwalają wycinać lasy, lać tony betonu. Może napisać ile wspólnego z ekologią ma kontenerowiec? Ile pali mazutu? Jaka jest równowartość wśród samochodów. Samochody elektryczne? A z czego wytwarza się prąd w wielu państwach? ile kosztuje, gdzie się składuje i jak utylizuje baterie z samochodów elektrycznych? Tu chodzi o KASĘ a nie o ekologię !!
There is no climate crisis, only a little warmer.
Bengt Hager Only a little warmer now, only a little warmer next year, 100 years later we’re fucked. Get some real info
The European union are criminals
No crisis ! Its man Made
Liesbeth Pieterse Read some real info on the internet. That should help. It very much is real and is a problem
Your house will burn down soon.
And how do you recyle them after they are no longer of use?
Ist also die Herkunft des Energieträgers entscheidend für die “Klimafreundlichkeit”?
They lie ! You are losing ALL !!! the rights of you own produced energy
there is no climat crisis there only is a governament crisis , most problems are burocraticaly made in offices with people who know nothing at all about the subject
Mitch Verhey there is a climate crisis. It has been shown by scientific research dozens of times. You really have to be stupid to not know it and even dumber to spew misinformation on the internet
alles gut und schön und wer hält die sauber, ich glaub da ist China haushoch überlegen, weil da müssen Menschen ran um die Zellen sauber zu halten die keine Arbeit haben, aber Deutschland hat nur Geld für die eigene Tasche und für die ganze Welt aber nicht für die eigne Bevölkerung
“How can households help tackle the energy and climate crisis?”Oh this is easy. As long as we stille live in a democracy, don’t vote for green/ leftist parties. The right ones have to prove themselves though. In my opinion we need new liberal parties which put an end to this madness.In the end, I like to close with citing the Big Yin, Billy Connolly: “Never turn down an opportunity to shout “Fuck them all!” at the top of your voice.”
What climate crisis?
Show me peer reviewed proof…!!!
Zijn ze wel recyclebaar?
Climate HOAX
« European » « union » is not european and is not an union. It is a coalition of rats, fleas, roaches that european People should wipe out for their own sake.
Et aller encore une escroquerie de plus validé par Facebook
Households don’t build energy infrastructure! Investors do…
Oscar Josefsson by lowering CO2 emissions politics can help lower global warmingTake off your tinfoil-hat and start thinking
The energy hike is because all climate change crap.
Kryspin Leniarska Are you expecting me to take you seriously?People who start with ad hominem arguments usually have nothing meaningful to say.
Import more unethical energy from the US instead of from Russia.
Thera are NO Climate Crises. Just made up manmade to decieve people. The Maldives are still here. So is Manhattan. NO difference anu coastlines anywhere. Not Florida, Ca… They built exclusive hotels and New Airports for The Billions they got to evacuate. Swedens traitor Regime gave Vietnam 27 Billion SEK to build New Airports. Hospitals in Afghanistan while we have no money left.The Globalistelites orders to enslave all Western countries people. The former PM of Sweden and his Puppet friends Greta bought exclusive villas in The Maldives.
Nexit uit de EU …….EXIT EXIT EXIT UIT DE EU……
You ALL voted for Ericssons Biden. Brainwashed by Govern-ment/mind. Controll The mind of The Little People.
Yes, by using prefabricated, almost finished homes made in facturies ! Less jobbs on the sites, but more sufficient, lawer prices for homes. The use of materials should be as ecological as possible! Human health is important too!
The problem with reducing energy consumption is that the climate varies considerably by area. In the south of Europe, there’s a lot of sunshine and high temperatures, making cooling the most important part. In the north, long, cold winters make the effectiveness of solar energy, for example, significantly lower as the sun doesn’t shine for much of the year, and panels are covered by snow for the best part of 6 months.
The heat insulation of buildings is also dependent on climate conditions, placing an unfair investment burden for northern countries. Many households cannot find the money for better insulation – unless some kinds of subsidies are introduced.
Add to that the fact that burning wood is the cheapest way of heating in many northern countries, which runs against the climate goal of reducing microparticles in the air.
Quite a Gordian knot.
Karol Leszczyński Not all environmental catastrophes are anthropogenic, you know. Ice ages happen. Asteroid impacts happen. Volcanic eruptions causing nuclear winters happen.And when they do you don’t want to be back in the Middle Ages, technology-wise.
The only way to “tackle the crisis” is to change the politicians who caused it in EU.
– how much more do we pay for gas to be delivered over oveans? 3x? 4x?
– if a single adult costs tons of CO2/yr, how much excess CO2 do accepting migrants for the past 5 years cost EU in terms of CO2 tons !?
By killing your neighbours. It’s a battle over resources, and you can eat a fruit just once. .