Belgians' small daily gestures to save power have paid off, as energy consumption has fallen by 9% to its lowest level in 20 years, according to figures published by the Economy Ministry.
The 9% drop in energy consumption in 2022 is "spectacular" and can be observed in households and businesses alike, authorities say.
"At the residential level, there has clearly been a big reduction in consumption. Firstly, due to changes in behaviour: we lowered our thermostat by a few degrees. And secondly, because the year 2022 was quite warm and we needed less heating," Aline Guilmot of the Economy Ministry's energy department told RTBF.
These changes in behaviour have seen people turn the heating down, turn off energy-intensive appliances, take colder showers and opt for cycling over driving, following a government campaign in April 2022.
"At the industrial level, some industries stopped production because energy costs were too high," she added. In contrast, there was no reduction in the transport sector as people continued to travel in a completely normal way in 2022.
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All energy (gas, oil, petrol and electricity) consumption decreased in 2022, except for renewable energy, said Guilmot. "The source of energy that decreased the most is natural gas, followed by petroleum products. Renewable energy has remained stable, which means that its share has increased to 7% of our total consumption."
Still, this 7% share remains modest in Belgium's sources of supply: oil counts for nearly 50% and gas for about 25%.
