The Danish Energy Agency's national energy saving campaign reached a wide range of Danes, increased awareness of the good saving advice and contributed to significant electricity and heat savings. This is shown by the evaluation of the national campaign 'Together we save energy'.
2022 was the year when Danes became seriously aware of their energy consumption. And here, the Energy Agency's energy saving campaign has played a significant role. It shows an evaluation of the communication effort.
The evaluation shows i.a. to:
• 9 out of 10 Danes are familiar with the Danish Energy Agency's savings council.
• 70% of Danes believe that the Energy Agency's savings advice helps them to save on energy.
• 3 out of 4 are more motivated to save on their electricity, hot water and heating consumption than before the campaign.
Less consumption
The Danes' efforts to save energy can also be seen in the Danish Energy Agency's consumption figures, which show that the Danes' electricity and gas consumption in the second half of 2022 was reduced by 6% and 19%, respectively, compared to the expected consumption.
"It is gratifying that the Danes focus more than before on saving on electricity, hot water and heating. We are still in a situation where energy consumption must be brought down for reasons of security of supply and the green transition. And it's time for us to let the good, new habits become a good new lifestyle when it comes to energy," says Stine Leth Rasmussen, deputy director of the Danish Energy Agency.
Great potential in energy optimization
While Danes' saving habits have improved significantly over the past year, the campaign evaluation also shows that there is still great potential for energy optimization and home renovations.
"It was crucial to quickly train the Danes to save energy by means of good, concrete behavioral advice. But we can also see that the Danes want more information about how they can best improve the energy of the house. We will continue to support the Danes in this," says Stine Leth Rasmussen.
The workplaces are an important part of the solution
Many Danes spend approximately half of their waking hours at work Therefore, the energy habits at work also leave an impression on companies' energy consumption. The campaign therefore also focused on how to save energy in the workplace.
The evaluation of the workplace effort shows, among other things, to:
• 8 out of 10 decision-makers in the workplace feel motivated by the savings councils.
• 41% of the decision makers have ensured that the workplace has turned down the heat
• 39% of decision makers have ensured that electronic devices that are not in use are turned off.
"Companies reacted to the situation in the autumn and many focused on saving energy here and now. But just like in private households, we also see great potential in workplaces and an interest in tackling the longer-term initiatives," says Stine Leth Rasmussen.
It is possible to apply for grants for projects that save energy and CO 2 in the workplace through the Business Pool . The pool's support rate was set in autumn 2022 and made easier to apply for.
"We can already see that, to a greater extent than before, companies choose to apply for help with their green conversion through the Business Pool. It is something that counts for both the company's finances and is positive for the climate," says Stine Leth Rasmussen.
Facts:
In the campaign 'Together we save energy', Danes came across, among other things, savings advice via digital and printed media, in the urban space, at the workplace and on the Energy Agency's website with energy savings advice; SparEnergi.dk . In addition, the Danish Energy Agency's advisory service cycled out into the summer country and held pop-up events where anyone interested could get free energy advice.
The campaign was executed from the end of June to December 2022. It was based on a population survey carried out in early April 2022, which served both as a basis for insight and as a baseline measurement. The survey was followed up in June and early January 2023 with the aim of evaluating the campaign and measuring the effect of the communication efforts in the population. Both data collections have been carried out as online survey interviews and are nationally representative in relation to gender, age and region.
The campaign effort targeted at workplaces was based on an insight survey carried out in early summer 2022. Here, 500 decision-makers and 700 employees were asked about their energy-saving behavior and motivational factors for saving energy at the workplace. Afterwards, in collaboration with relevant industry organisations, material packages were developed with advice and help for decision-makers and employees in the workplace. The survey was followed up in early January 2023 with the aim of evaluating the campaign and measuring the effect of the communication efforts targeted at the workplaces.
