Energy savings: the small digital gestures offered by Ecowatt to get through the winter


“Wintering”. The expression has imposed itself in the public debate around the energy savings to be made in view of the winter period, which will put the RTE (Electricity Transport Network) organization to the test. Against the background of the interruption of Russian gas deliveries and while half of the nuclear fleet is shut down for maintenance, the government is preparing for all eventualities, even the worst, namely cuts in the network.

To avoid encountering blackouts and having to wean companies off energy, a panoply of measures has been devised with, first of all, a call for voluntary sobriety for everyone. In other words, before imposing any coercive decisions, the government is counting on a relatively mild winter during which individuals, administrations and businesses will make small efforts to reduce their consumption to avoidturn off billboardsto cut charging stations for electric cars or shut down entire industries.

A major campaign to raise awareness of energy savings is thus planned for the month of October. One of the tools on which the government will rely is Ecowatt, a kind of “smart bison” of energy, capable of providing a real-time indicator of French electricity consumption. We should therefore hear more and more about Ecowatt as winter approaches, knowing that a new version of its application is under development.

What eco-gestures on the digital side?

If we are talking about it today, it is also because RTE recently updated its list of “eco-gestures”. It lists a number of practices within our reach which, taken together, can have a beneficial impact on our energy bills while reducing the pressure on the electricity distribution network.

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We are beginning to know that lowering your thermostat by 1°C is equivalent to 7% energy savings on average and covering the pan with a lid when boiling water speeds up the process and reduces consumption. of energy. Acting on his mobility and on lighting is also part of the advanced tracks.

But what does Ecowatt indicate on the side of electronic and digital devices? Five proposals are made:

  • Turn off your computer and screen completely at the end of the day.
  • Do not leave any device on standby (box, TV, computer, game console, etc.).
  • Cut your box in case of absence.
  • Switch off non-essential information screens (reception, catering, etc.).
  • Avoid charging your laptop between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. and between 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

Olivier Véran’s short sentence on the extinction of wifi, at a time when other ministers were criticizing the demagoguery of the debate on private jets, caused a lot of talk. If this advice is always good to take and can help lighten the load on the network, it seems important to us to talk again about the consumption scales of household equipment, so that everyone can clearly understand where the greatest savings margins lie. energy to achieve.

Here is a graph that has been circulating quite a bit over the past few days and which, without being extremely precise, allows you to have a somewhat more complete reading of the problem. And if we are strictly interested in the electronic part, we quickly understand that avoiding leaving a 55 “television running as background noise all afternoon will be much more effective than turning off your wifi or avoiding switch on an LED bulb.

Finally, it seems important to us to add that if the public authorities want to be able to count on everyone’s efforts, a duty to set an example is essential so that the message conveyed is better accepted by the population as a whole.

Indeed, many of our fellow citizens — and we can understand them — are wondering about the fact that they are being asked to pay attention to the time slot for recharging their telephones or to turn off the power strip under their television at night, when at the same time the shops are lit up with a thousand lights to improve their visibility and when entire office buildings remain air-conditioned on weekends, or hundreds of computers are never turned off.

Perhaps beyond the incentive measures, ensuring that everyone without exception respects the provisions in force – and taking new ones – should also be part of the urgency of the moment.





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