Prague, April 26, 2024 (PROTEXT) – High energy prices in recent years have forced many households to look for ways to reduce, or at least control, their consumption. However, a survey by the epet company shows that Czechs often do not even use basic measures that would help them to do so. Over two-fifths of households do not check their electricity or gas consumption. More than half do not use the low tariff. When buying new appliances, however, for 85% of Czechs, their energy efficiency plays a role.
How do Czechs (not) save energy?
During the energy crisis that the Czechs experienced in the past years, many households adopted more energy-saving behavior. “Even though energy prices are currently falling on the wholesale markets and in the price lists of most suppliers, consumers are already used to saving behavior. But our survey shows that they still don’t know about many ways to monitor their consumption,” he says Roman Šmíd, commercial director of epet, an alternative energy supplier that has been supplying gas and electricity to the Czech market for 18 years.
For example, almost 40% of Czechs do not know that they can ask their supplier for an extraordinary invoice at any time. This results from a survey by the epet company. Data collection was carried out through the Czech National Panel. Extraordinary billing is an excellent tool to ask your energy supplier to reduce the advance payments. In the past, however, only 5% of respondents used this option.
Over two fifths of Czechs do not check their energy consumption during the year
Even if they have access to an electricity or gas meter, almost two fifths of Czechs do not check their consumption during the year. However, having an overview of it is one of the basic steps on the way to savings. “Just under a third of the population regularly checks their consumption every month. Over a fifth check their electricity or gas meter at least at the beginning and end of the heating season,” supplies Roman Šmíd, business director of epet.
Over half of the households do not have a low tariff
Another tool to reduce the electricity bill is a low tariff. Even if households have this tariff activated, almost a fifth of Czechs do not pay attention to turning on appliances when it is active. Half of the households do not even have a tariff. “A wide range of households are entitled to the tariff, not only those who own a heat pump or an electric car, which are often talked about. Owners of an electric boiler, underfloor heating or an electric boiler can also request a two-tariff rate from the distributor,” explains Roman Šmíd, business director of epet.
Czechs also rarely use the so-called smart electricity consumption meters. The only 7.5 percent of households use it, and almost 42 percent do not know what it is suitable for. Almost half of the households also do not pay attention to the standby (stand-by) mode of household appliances. By pulling it out of the socket or turning off the power supply, it saves less than 40 percent. Almost half of the households do not use this option, even though they know that they are losing electricity.
The purchase of new appliances affects its consumption
However, one saving measure is closer to the Czechs, namely the energy efficiency of household appliances. The energy label of an appliance is important for 85 percent of people when purchasing.
About epet
The company epet has been a supplier of electricity and natural gas since 2005. In 2021, the company Dobrá Energie s.r.o. was incorporated under epet, and in terms of the delivered volume of energy, the largest alternative supplier was created, which provides gas and electricity for almost 150,000 consumption points. The epet company is part of Energetický a próvyelí holding, a strong energy company, the majority owner of which is Daniel Křetínský.
ČTK Connect publishes an image attachment to the report, which is available at http://www.protext.cz.
Tags: percent Czechs energy suppliers extraordinary bill revealed survey company epet pretext
