Towards a form of energy sobriety? After a summer marked by extreme phenomena attributable to global warming, and while the war in Ukraine and its repercussions on the energy market continue, the start of the school year is marked by energy restrictions. Emmanuel Macron has promised to present at the end of September a “sobriety plan”and the debate on controlling consumption is already lively, particularly around the question of private jets.
Organizations have also taken a stand to influence decision-makers. In March, the International Energy Agency listed ten measures to reduce oil consumption. In turn, the think tank Terra Nova, historically close to the Socialist Party, published a report on Tuesday, August 23. Written by Nicholas Goldberg, an energy specialist with the Colombus consulting firm, he put forward 14 proposals for “combining the two objectives of protecting against the energy crisis and fulfilling our commitments to safeguard the climate”. Franceinfo summarizes these lines of thought.
“Symbolic” restrictions to set an example
Turning off the light when you leave a room, shortening your shower, lowering the air conditioning or heating are gestures “useful, but insufficient”, warns the report of Terra Nova from the outset. The organization is particularly concerned about the acceptability of these efforts. “The French say it at every barometer (…): they are ready to change their lifestyles, provided that there is an equitable sharing of efforts”, explained to franceinfo the researcher Mathieu Saujot in mid-August. Terra Nova therefore insists on the need for measures “highly visible” and “symbolic”even if they only affect one “limited share” demand, for show citizens that they are not the only ones to be involved.
The report thus proposes to mark the days when France lacks electricity by turning off advertising screens and the lighting of monuments. It also targets the sports and culture sectors, less for their consumption than for their ability to lead by example. Among the changes suggested by the think tank are the limitation of the use of generators during festivals, the ban on organizing certain events at night and a strengthening of commitments to favor less polluting transport for athletes and spectators (promise made in a charter co-signed by the Minister for Sports in 2020).
Everyday gestures are addressed, but through measures that the State could take to limit home-work journeys by car: encourage teleworking, facilitate meals at the workplace via restaurant tickets or the creation of kitchens , or even extending the tax benefits associated with company vehicles to electrically assisted bicycles. In the longer term, Terra Nova also calls for a plan to develop rail transport, an increase in penalties on the weight of vehicles or even a reinforced fight against planned obsolescence.
A “more rigorous” application of the existing rules
Another lever for responding to this crisis in the short term is “the concrete and more rigorous implementation of decisions already taken”, also believes Terra Nova. The think tank thus calls for the application of the ban on heated terraces, which has been in law since the end of March, but which establishments have been able to ignore without being fined, as well as the obligation to turn off commercial signs from a morning hour.
Terre Nova also pleads for compliance with the rules of the Energy Code which restrict the use of heating and air conditioning in buildings. The latter should not drop the temperature below 26°C, in particular. The report suggests starting by leading by example in communities and governments. In July, Emmanuel Macron also pleaded for an effort in this area, as well as on commercial lighting.
Finally, the report calls for efforts to be stepped up against open refrigerated shelves in shops and the loss of energy they represent, by setting the objective that they all be equipped with a door in the future.
Price reductions targeted at the most precarious
How to protect the French from soaring energy prices without encouraging polluting practices? We know the sensitive issue. In its report, Terra Nova calls for an evolution of the government’s “price shield”, that is to say the limitation of the increase in electricity and gas prices. Not only his “addition begins to be salty”estimates the think tank, but it prevents a rise in prices which could “encourage us, both individuals and professionals, to save energy and invest in efficiency”. The organization regrets the absence of “social targeting” limiting it to the most precarious.
The report therefore recommends the gradual end of this “tariff shield”, combined with a strengthening of the energy check, aid reserved for households with low incomes. The think tank proposes to convert this check into money to facilitate its use.
Terra Nova also suggests creating a different tariff, lower and set by the State, for the first kWh of electricity used. The quantity would correspond to the basic consumption of the poorest households. The objective would be to ensure that everyone has access to “essential uses” electricity.
Encouragement to consume outside peak demand
Finally, Terra Nova proposes to popularize again (and generalize to all suppliers) scalable electricity tariffs, between “off-peak” and “peak” hours, but also between days of tension and those when the supply is more simple. A way for the think tank to encourage citizens and businesses to consume when the difficulties are the least important. The report suggests that households choosing these tariffs are granted the energy check, regardless of their income, under “services they have rendered to the network”. He also pleads for recalculating “off-peak hours”, so that they better reflect the reality of consumption peaks. Today, these contracts provide for eight “off-peak hours” per day, the distribution of which may vary, but which must fit into the 12 p.m.-5 p.m. and 8 p.m.-8 a.m. ranges.
To inform the French on the days when it is most useful to save energy, the report also imagines relying on a “energy weather”which could be integrated “to the weather reports of the news channels”. This is already offered by the network manager, RTE, on its EcoWatt service. Terra Nova believes that the government should communicate about it, and encourage companies to use it.