Want to help people with their bills? Then we must become more energy efficient

Governments have focused a lot on increasing energy supplies, but not enough on reducing energy demand, write Fatih Birol and Dan Jørgensen

We need stronger efficiency policies and investments (PA Wire)

Much of the conversation on how to deal with the current global energy crisis has focused on finding new supplies to replace Russian oil and gas. But far too little attention is being paid, inexplicably, to the other side of the equation: how to reduce our demand for those fuels in the first place.

The crippling price spikes can be blunted if countries around the world act strongly and rapidly to make their use of energy more efficient. And we can do this immediately with technologies, policies and actions readily available today: upgrading homes with better insulation, installing heat pumps, improving the fuel economy of cars, investing in new industrial machinery, and raising standards for air conditioners and other appliances.

Doing so will not only make energy use more affordable, it will also make it more secure, and more sustainable. It will also create jobs and boost economic growth.