Christmas
How energy conscious are Germans on public holidays?
Ovens have a high electricity demand – and are often in full swing before Christmas.
© Natalia Bostan / Shutterstock.com
Power consumption can quickly fade into the background at Christmas time. A survey reveals how energy-conscious Germany is.
Regardless of whether it is baking cookies or lighting, there are quite a few costs associated with electricity at Christmas time. But are consumers now paying more attention to their energy consumption despite the desired Christmas spirit? The energy company Eon commissioned the market research company Civey to conduct a survey of around 6,000 people in Germany. The result: in all federal states, more than half pay attention to energy-efficient Christmas lighting. On the other hand, the power consumption during baking is underestimated by many.
Christmas lights: These regions pay attention to their energy consumption
When it comes to Christmas lighting, people in this country pay more attention to energy consumption than many people think. The front runner is Schleswig-Holstein – in the northernmost state, according to the survey, 71.6 percent, i.e. almost three quarters of all residents, use energy-saving holiday lighting. But Bremen (71.3 percent), Berlin (70.8 percent), Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (69.2 percent) and Hesse (69.0 percent) also perform above average.
In the lower ranks are the states of Bavaria (63.0 percent), Rhineland-Palatinate (61.9 percent) and Hamburg (61.3 percent). Nevertheless, well over half of the consumers here also illuminate the Advent season in an energy-conscious way. Conclusion: Nationwide two out of three people (66.7 percent) attach importance to the fact that their lighting is energy-efficient. Only 28.1 percent do not pay attention to their electricity consumption.
Baking cookies: There is still some catching up to do here
And what about the second favorite Christmas activity in Germany – baking cookies? What apparently many do not know: ovens have a high power requirement. With just a few simple steps, however, it is easy to save energy when baking, for example by using the convection rather than the top / bottom heat function. In addition, energy consumption is reduced by several percent if the oven is not preheated. It is precisely these categories that were taken into account in the Civey survey.
The fact is: Germany does not do as well when it comes to baking cookies as it does when it comes to Christmas lights. 42.1 percent of the 6,000 respondents use the more energy-saving air circulation function, but 34.4 percent still use top / bottom heating. Only around a quarter (23.3 percent) of the survey participants do without preheating when baking, 71.7 percent do it regularly.
After all, people in Lower Saxony are particularly energy-conscious when baking – 45.4 percent mostly use convection air and 24.5 percent do not preheat the oven. Thuringia (44.3 percent convection or 25.5 percent without preheating), Bremen (50.7 or 23.9 percent), Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (42.7 or 32.0 percent) and Westphalia (44.4 and 24.2 percent). Baden-Württemberg (39.70 and 20.0 percent) and Bavaria (38.60 and 19.80 percent) come in last.