Save energy to avoid cuts, says new government website

The federal government has launched a new website aimed at getting residents to cut down on electricity consumption this winter. Belgium faces the threat of brownouts or blackouts this year during prolonged cold spells due to partial shutdowns at two nuclear power plants. The government is trying to reduce the risk by persuading people to change their consumption habits.

A controversial contingency plan was drawn up earlier in the year by the Di Rupo government. Its aim was to introduce selective power cuts in different areas of the country to avoid a total blackout. But the Michel government believes that cuts won’t be required if the population reduces the demand.

The federal government website www.offon.be offers a number of tips and guidelines on how to reduce domestic electricity consumption. The website includes an “energy calculator” that shows the level of risk of cuts for a particular time, ranging from orange (risk of energy reduction), through to red (risk of disruption) and finally black (cut announced).

The website includes handy tips for saving energy, including washing clothes in cold water, keeping fridge and oven doors closed, cooking everything in one saucepan and unplugging electric devices rather than leaving them in standby mode.

The government aims to intensify its campaign if the threat of cuts becomes imminent. It could also force big energy-consuming companies to shut down temporarily if the risk of power cuts becomes severe.

The campaign organisers hope that people will share the online information using social media.