The Wall Street Journal reported that the authorities of the Netherlands and other European countries call upon their citizens to take a shower less frequently and faster – no longer than 5 minutes a day – to save energy. According to the author of the article, not everyone is ready to put up with such a restriction, although some people are satisfied even with a minute and a half.
People in the Netherlands are learning to save resources. The Wall Street Journal features a story about a girl, Karla, who used to take a 15-minute shower and relaxes there, but her boyfriend, who himself washes in a minute and a half, set a five-minute timer for her. The girl says that over time she has got used to relaxing differently and now takes a bath once a month. In one of the country’s provinces the authorities themselves have issued such timers to the population.
Such restrictions are linked to the fact that Russia has reduced gas supplies due to sanctions, the author of the article notes. While earlier, on average, Dutch residents washed in nine minutes, now everyone is recommended to reduce the time in the shower to five minutes. In this case, each household will be able to save 60 cubic metres of gas per year, the equivalent of €130.
Dutch residents started paying an average of €503 for electricity in August this year compared to €142 in August 2021. And things can only get worse from here, experts say. Therefore, the authorities urge people to save as much electricity as possible so that the country can enter the winter period with full gas reserves.
Restrictions were introduced in other European countries as well: temperatures in public buildings were lowered, an appeal to the population to change their behaviour was made. The governments of Denmark and Germany have also urged people to reduce the time they use showers.
An Amsterdam journalist interviewed by our US correspondent told the press that she has always tried to save resources, but now she showers only once a week, and uses wet wipes for the rest of the time. Even the fact that she regularly rides a bicycle does not hinder her lifestyle. To wash dishes, she boils a kettle; to cook food, she heats it up in a blanket.
The Dutch government also urges citizens not to dry clothes in the dryer, to use a fan rather than air conditioning, and to keep the blinds down on a hot day. But the country’s residents are in principle used to using resources wisely, experts say.
And yet there are those who are not prepared to sacrifice their time in the shower. So, one of the interlocutors of the newspaper said that once she decided to go on holiday by train, even though it took her four days, just to avoid polluting the nature. But she is not going to give up her 10-minute shower. It is inefficient and unfair to build energy policy around demands for ordinary people while industry spends much more, she said. And five minutes in the shower is not enough time for her to wash properly, The Wall Street Journal quoted her as saying.
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