The editor-in-chief of the Energija Balkan portal, Jelica Putniković, said that we should all use electricity more responsibly, because of lower bills, but also because of the savings that all European countries are calling for before the coming winter.
She positively evaluated the benefits announced in Serbia for those households that spend less, but she pointed out that everyone, not only citizens, should reduce their consumption.
“I think that we should still insist that the state make some decisions or cities, settlements. Not all buildings have to be lit. They pulled their feet when the government decided that state institutions should be lit less decoratively. But I think we could we will contribute even more. For example, winter is coming, we don’t have to decorate the cities,” said Putniković in the morning program of RTS.
He notes that the cause of irrational consumption is in people’s consciousness, and that systemic action is needed to convince people to consume electricity rationally.
“Somehow everyone in Serbia behaved as if electricity was Alajbeg’s straw, that there was no need to take care of it,” says Putniković and points out that we also have large losses of electricity, where those who steal electricity and who they certainly don’t think about what time they will turn on the washing machine or water heater.
He adds that the working hours of shopping centers that consume a large amount of electricity could be shortened, but also that the economy should be involved in savings.
“We used to work in three shifts, so the night shift had the cheapest electricity. Why shouldn’t the state or EPS offer some organizations, factories where something is produced – to shift production to those hours when consumption is normally lower,” she said. is Putniković.
How the household can save
Jelica Putniković notes that there are houses that emit heat through walls and windows, and that turning off the light bulb does not help much in that case.
“It should be insisted that everyone insulate their apartment, their house, to consume less energy because we are really wasteful when it comes to that. One light bulb is not as much of a savings as if we fix the walls and windows, then we will spend less on heating and for cooling. It’s not just a question of electricity, there’s also a question of remote heating systems, if you heat with pellets, with gas, with some other energy source – you’ll need less of it,” notes Putniković.
As a solution, she also mentioned heat pumps and solar panels, for those who are able to switch to this type of supply, but she noted that there is a problem there.
“It was not agreed between the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Energy on the issue of charging VAT on the electricity that a citizen produces and delivers to the EDB system, and then when it is returned – there are problems. People saw on their bills that the savings were not as great as they had expected. hoped for, the new government needs to solve that as soon as possible,” Putniković points out.
He points out that electricity is cheaper at night and that everyone can watch what time they turn on the water heater, dishwasher, etc.
What about heating in buildings
As for the option that some European countries have decided on – to limit the heating temperature in buildings during the winter, where there is a danger that this measure will be counterproductive because people would heat up in other ways – Putniković says that the solution is to pay for heating by expenditure.
“Until it is introduced to pay for heating according to consumption, people will expect it to be 22, 24 degrees… We all know friends who sit in T-shirts, open the window, it means it’s too hot in their apartment and they don’t think about it. They will not introduce a system of paying according to consumption, because then they would certainly not pay so much,” says Putniković.
He adds that it does not have to be 19 degrees in the apartment, but that the temperature could be kept at 20 degrees.
There will be no restrictions, he says, because they are counterproductive.
“As soon as the electricity comes, you will start spending again. This is counterproductive and causes device failures,” says Putniković.
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