In the current context of sharply rising prices, the consumption of electricity and gas is a subject of increasing concern to consumers, stresses the energy ombudsman in its annual barometer. With the main objective of reducing the bill.
Elisabeth Borne’s announcements in mid-September are now anchored in the 2023 budget: the tariff shield on electricity and gas will limit price increases to 15% on January 1. Admittedly moderate in view of the surge in market prices, an increase remains an increase in a period of high inflation. And to limit the surge in bills, suppliers are increasing calls to study offers such as peak hours / off-peak hours, Tempo or the EcoWatt device for electricity, for example.
Energy consumers agree to participate in the national effort to reduce energy consumption. Nevertheless, shifting part of its electricity consumption to a time other than during peak consumption is one of the actions less often mentioned, probably because it is not yet well understood, judges the energy mediator Olivier Challan – Belval.
According to the annual barometer of its services (1), published on monday october 18, 27% of households said they had encountered difficulties in paying certain gas or electricity bills. Above all, this figure is up 9 points since the 2020 edition of the study. In detail this year, one out of two young people between the ages of 18 and 34 has difficulty regulating energy expenditure and twice as many households (22%) as in 2020 declare that they have suffered from the cold for at least 24 hours in their home. lodging.
Nobanques: the cheapest offers to control your budget
Lower the bill: motivation number 1
According to this survey, 82% of households surveyed believe that energy bills now represent a significant portion of their household expenses. Consequently, the reduction in energy consumption is above all motivated by the desire to reduce the amount of its bills (83%). Facing the current energy shortage is only cited in 3rd position, points out the barometer.
Thus, more and more households declare that they reduce heating to limit the amount of their bills (69%) (+16% in 2 years) and 31% of energy consumers declare that they are ready to change their behavior when 59% % feel they are already paying attention and not being able to do more.
The most frequently cited co-gestures are: turning off unnecessary lights (75%), lowering the heating when absent (61%), not leaving electrical appliances on standby (60%) and lowering the heating temperature (58%). %). Good pick, because install a thermostat reduces the heating rating by 15%, reduce the heating temperature by one degree reduces the bill by 7%. In addition, using power strips to turn off your appliances on standby will save you up to 10% of your annual electricity costs.
(1) Survey carried out by the BECOMING institute via the internet from September 1 to 16, 2022 among 2,006 households