On the presentation of the new energy reduction measures for the National Sports and Cultural Centre in La Coque, energy minister (déi Gréng) drew up an initial assessment of Luxembourg's gas consumption. And it seems that the grand duchy is largely fulfilling for the time being.
Specifically, in August, the country reduced its natural gas consumption by 37.2% compared to its average consumption over the same period since 2017. The same was true in September, with a 26.6% drop in consumption.
"This can be explained by the efforts of the industrial sector,” stressed the energy minister. But Turmes is aware that August and September are not the most crucial months for achieving the government's reduction target.
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While the industrial sector has made efforts for the time being, gas savings have also been achieved thanks to mild temperatures. "To put it simply, throughout the year, half of Luxembourg’s natural gas is used by industry, and the other half is used to heat buildings. The consumption curve for industry is relatively stable throughout the year, while that of buildings tends to increase during colder months, from December to March. It is therefore important to continue to find solutions to reduce gas consumption, for example, by reducing the heating of buildings. The months that count will soon arrive, and the gas consumption of buildings will be greater than the gas consumption of industry," explained Turmes.
20 degrees in offices
To reach the national objective, the energy minister is counting on the goodwill of municipalities. They can reduce public lighting or lower the heating of buildings to 20 degrees. "The state has decided to lower the heating to 20 degrees. I hope that the municipalities will follow the same trend. We are also continuing to work with large building managers where we suddenly see that there are technical solutions that can reduce energy consumption where previously it was impossible,” concluded Turmes.
The minister also indicated that he had received assurances from the UEL, ABBL and Aca that energy consumption would be reduced, with a temperature limit of 20 degrees in company offices and the financial centre.
This story was first published in French on . It has been translated and edited for Delano.