Phasing out Russian oil: how UK consumers can help the war effort
The prime minister’s pledge to join the US in phasing out Russian oil – and exploring ways to do the same with gas – is aimed at hitting the Kremlin’s coffers but it also presents a problem for the UK.
In Britain, about 4% of gas and 8% of oil comes from Russia, far lower than its European neighbours. But turmoil in the energy markets has sent gas and petrol prices soaring, exacerbating the cost of living crisis. Weaning ourselves off Russian resources – by sourcing supplies elsewhere or pursuing the increased use of renewables and nuclear – will cost money and take time.
One obvious solution is to use less gas and oil in the meantime via a nationwide effort that, while redolent of the sacrifices made in previous global conflicts, need not be nearly as painful and could have long-term benefits.
Ways to do it range from turning down the thermostat and driving slower on the motorway to accelerating the shift towards technology such as heat pumps. Here are some options.
Government policy could reduce Britain’s gas usage by the equivalent of current Russian imports by 2027, according to the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), solving the problem more quickly than increasing gas output from the North Sea.
A good starting point, the ECIU said, is to upgrade 1m homes a year from Band D of the energy efficiency scale to Band C, reducing their gas usage by 20%.
That isn’t unprecedented. The UK installed energy efficiency measures in 2.3m homes in 2012, mostly loft and wall insulation, before policy changes slashed the rate to about a 10th of that. UK gas demand was 810 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2019, the last year before the pandemic, while Russian imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) are about 33.7TWh, 4%.
The ECIU says its
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