Presenting itself as an electricity weather forecast, the brand new EcoWatt site provides clear indicators on electricity consumption in France as well as practical advice on how to reduce it and save energy.
We already know: the winter of 2022 will be hard. Perhaps on the meteorological level – it is too early to say – but on the financial level. Because, with inflation galloping since the beginning of the year, and which has increased with the conflict in Ukraine, speculation on raw materials and the resulting supply problems, the prices of energy resources will not stop climbing. This is the case for gas, of course, but also for electricity – whose regulated tariffs are linked in Europe. The Government has also just announced fairly significant increases from the start of 2023, which will further increase consumer bills. But there is worse: because to the question of prices, there are production problems with multiple causes (supply, storage, maintenance of nuclear power stations, etc.). All the specialists have sounded the alarm: we will have to adopt new habits to reduce electricity consumption and limit demand on the electricity network during peaks to avoid the power cuts that everyone dreads.
It is precisely to inform the population and give practical advice to consumers that TEN (Electricity transport network, the public operator that carries electricity in France, independently of private suppliers) has just launched with the support of Ademe a brand new site cleverly named EcoWatt. Like a weather tool – a model he claims – ÉcoWatt provides a real-time clear view of electricity consumption in France, region by region, with a system of color indicators (Green for normal consumption, Orange for a tense situation, and Red for peaks).
In parallel with this permanent inventory, EcoWatt gives the practices to adopt – the eco-gestures – to regulate and reduce electricity consumption. Practical advice aimed at individuals as well as companies and communities, everyone having a role to play in this regulation. Often simple gestures (Reduce the heating temperature, Cut off unnecessary lights, Shift certain domestic uses, Close shutters and curtains at night to prevent heat loss, Cover pans during cooking, Limit the number of lights on in a room, Turn off computers and screens completely at the end of the day, Avoid charging mobile devices and electric vehicles during peak hours, etc.). So many practices to respect and share, because the sum of individual gestures can have a strong influence on general consumption. It should be noted that the site, which will no doubt evolve, now offers to register for cut-off vigilance alerta device that allows you to be informed in advance of any power cuts.
