When Eli Heyerdahl Eide and his husband renovated the house ten years ago, they installed a rock heat pump and balanced ventilation, which recycles the heat in the ventilation air. This meant that they already had a low electricity consumption in a house of 300 square metres. Nevertheless, in the last year they have saved over 2,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity. When they saw that electricity prices were starting to rise, they took action. – We became more aware of how much electricity we used. We followed the stream gauge every day, she says to news. Does not use energy in empty rooms Among the things they have become more aware of in the last year is how they heat the house. When they are going to be at home all day, such as at weekends, they fire with wood that they have cut themselves in the morning. And rooms that they are not going to use, they make sure not to heat up. – We just turn off the heat and close the doors so that no energy is lost there. The house of Eli Heyerdahl Eide and the man they live in is almost 300 square meters. Photo: Kjartan Rørslett / news In addition, they have started shock ventilation instead of leaving the window open for a longer time. They have also lowered the temperature at home, and instead use home-knitted woolen socks and knitted jumpers indoors. And then they have cut down on the time in the shower. – Previously, I could enjoy a long and good shower. But now I know that we use around half a kilowatt hour for every minute you shower. If you shower for five minutes instead of ten, it costs half as much, says Eide. In addition, you save money by turning off the shower when you rub in shampoo and wait for the conditioner to work, she says. Connection between price and consumption There are more people than Eide and the man who have developed a more conscious relationship with their own electricity consumption. The high electricity prices in Southern and Eastern Norway have led to many people cutting back on consumption, according to figures from NVE. They have looked at usage this winter, when prices were high in parts of the country, and compared to the previous winter, when electricity prices were low across the country. – We see that there is a connection between price and consumption, even when you correct for temperature differences, says NVE director Kjetil Lund to news. Watercourses and energy director Kjetil Lund. Photo: Catchlight/NVE It is especially in south-east Norway and south-west Norway, which have had the highest prices, that electricity consumption has decreased. But also in Western Norway, which has also seen an increase in electricity prices, consumption has decreased. In those parts where electricity prices have not changed or gone down slightly, consumption has remained the same or gone up, even when adjusting for temperature variations. Think people are more aware. Households and non-service industries in particular have cut electricity use, while industry with long-term fixed price agreements does not seem to have cut consumption to the same extent. Lund believes that the analysis they have carried out shows that many people may have had their eyes opened for a more efficient use of energy. – It is good if this means that people have a more conscious relationship with electricity, and avoid wasting electricity. But if people start cutting the electricity they need, that is not good, says the NVE director. Eli Heyerdahl Eide says they are very pleased to have cut their consumption so much. But it was important to them that comfort should not be compromised. – We could certainly have tightened up on several things. But we don’t want to be clumsy or have poor comfort. We are comfortable and warm, and no one has complained when they have visited, she says.
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High electricity prices led to lower consumption – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
