Europe's energy sacrifices: The winter test of resolve

“Everyone is talking about energy costs and comparing energy bills and that brings people together,” says Elisabetta Cornago, senior research fellow in energy at the Centre for European Reform. “Citizens want to see businesses, shops, and public entities save energy just as they are doing at home. Reducing very visible energy consumption like public lighting and shop signs, those things individually probably don’t make a big difference but it is about trying to put together a lot of relatively small consumption cuts and the visible ones can be highly motivating.”

The question, she adds, remains if and how long that sense of solidarity can last.

...Eastern Europe “is particularly exposed,” notes the Centre for European Reform’s Cornago. Not only are per capita incomes lower, but the climate is also harsher than in many parts of the EU and the region has been far more dependent on Russian gas. There is a cultural dimension too. “In western Europe, trying to save is seen as a badge of honour. In my ‘green’ bubble, people boast about how they are controlling the temperature or taking a colder shower,” she says. “In eastern Europe, they see that there has been a positive evolution in comfort and being able to afford a certain standard of living and making these sacrifices is a signal of going back[wards].”