How can gas consumption in the Netherlands be reduced to compensate for the loss of Russian gas? The Netherlands now consumes 42 billion cubic meters of gas annually, of which 5 to 6 billion cubic meters came from Russia. The largest part of the gas is used for electricity generation: almost half of the annual gas consumption.
Thanks to solar panels and wind turbines, slightly less gas is now needed. But since coal-fired power plants are largely closed (to reduce greenhouse gas emissions), it is difficult to further reduce gas consumption in power generation. The industry has been using about 9 billion cubic meters per year for many years. To drastically reduce this consumption, large-scale consumers such as fertilizer manufacturers, the food sector and the chemical industry will have to produce less.
Every year, 4 billion cubic meters of gas is needed to heat offices, and 8 billion cubic meters for homes. Heating consumption has already fallen slightly in recent years. Due to insulation and more economical use, gas consumption has shown a steady decline in recent years. An average household now uses 1,200 cubic meters of gas during a normal winter, whereas ten years ago this was still 1,600 cubic meters.
Consumers can further reduce consumption. In addition to rigorous measures such as isolation, behavioral change can also help. Lowering the thermostat in particular makes sense, three quarters of the gas is used for heating. This will only take effect in the winter months. Reducing hot water use (for showering) immediately lowers the gas bill. Switching to electric cooking has little effect.