EU says work from home in plan to slash use of Russian oil and gas

EU wants staff to work from home in grand plan to slash use of Russian oil and gas

  • EU chiefs are asking employees to work from home at least three days a week
  • The International Energy Agency hopes it will reduce use of Russian oil and gas
  • The EU cannot find alternative supplies and wants citizens to adjust lifestyles

EU chiefs are asking workers to buck the trend of returning to the office after the pandemic – to help defeat Vladimir Putin.

They want employees to work from home at least three days a week to reduce the consumption of imported Russian oil and gas. The money Moscow makes from its exports is helping to fund Putin’s war in Ukraine.

The EU cannot find alternative supplies at the moment, so it wants citizens to adjust their lifestyles. 

The nine-point plan called Playing My Part, drawn up with the International Energy Agency, asks workers to avoid commuting and drive more slowly to use less fuel.

The EU imports 90 per cent of the natural gas used to generate electricity, heat homes and supply industry, with Russia supplying almost 40 per cent of EU gas and a quarter of its oil 

It encourages them to heat homes less in winter and turn air conditioning down in summer. It is estimated the range of measures would save a typical household £375 a year.

The IEA calculates that if every citizen followed the plan, it could save 220million barrels of oil and 17billion cubic metres of gas a year.

Fatih Birol, of the IEA, said the aim was to ‘reduce the flow of money to Russia’s military and help put us on a path to a cleaner and more sustainable planet’.

In March, the EU announced a plan to become independent from Russian energy imports by 2030.

This week the German energy minister Christian Lindner said it would be impossible to stop oil imports immediately.

Germany is facing speed limits on its famously unregulated autobahns – federal motorways – to save fuel and cut Russian imports.

Germany’s Green Party, which is in a three-party governing coalition, is pushing for a ‘temporary’ 80mph limit.

Austria has cut all fares on public transport to three euros per day and is introducing a programme to help low-income households replace old inefficient appliances. 

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