Reduce Gas Use For Ukraine!

Do you want to weaken Putin’s hand while making European nations more willing and able to cope with disruptions in their energy supply? 

Of course you do! One simple way to help Ukraine is to stop using gas.  

You can start immediately.

Gas stovetop? Buy a $59 TILLREDA induction cooktop from IKEA. They work better than a gas cooktop – here’s proof.  

Only have gas hot water? No worries. Bathe with bucket water warmed by an electric jug. I realize this will be inconvenient and annoying, but I don’t hesitate to recommend these actions because:

1. It’s the moral thing to do.
2. I don’t have gas.

But if I did have gas, I wouldn’t reduce my use. I would take the more effective action and get rid of it for good, saving money in the process.

Many Australians aren’t aware they’d save money without a gas connection.  This doesn’t apply to every home and there is an upfront cost to replacing gas appliances. But most homes will save money in the long run, especially when the cost of regularly servicing gas appliances is included.¹  Rooftop solar helps to make ditching your gas meter pay for itself, but it is not necessary.  Plenty of homes without solar will still be better off.

Of course, it’s still a good idea to get solar if you don’t already have it.  Australia doesn’t generate much electricity from gas, but sending surplus solar energy into the grid will reduce it further.  This will be especially true soon as Australia builds gigawatt-hour sized batteries.

Another way Australians can help weaken Putin’s position is by burning less oil.  You can ride a bicycle, e-bike or scooter, or use public transport.  For those in the market for a new car, buying an EV will make Putin sad — assuming he’s still around by the time it arrives. 

Cutting Gas Consumption Will Help

Australia is a long way from Ukraine², so you may be wondering how reducing our gas consumption will help. 

While it won’t directly help Ukraine, it will make it easier for European nations — which currently import over one-third of their natural gas from Russia — to impose stronger sanctions.  This includes reducing or eliminating imports of Russian natural gas.  It will also help them resist threats by Putin to cut off gas exports.

Russia Supplies Almost 40% Of Europe’s Gas

In 2020 gas generated 20% of Europe’s electricity.  It also plays major roles in industry and home heating.  In the same year, it supplied 26% of total European energy use.  Around 80% of Europe’s natural gas is imported, and usually about half comes from Russia. Last year it was over 60%. 

Typically, Russia supplies around 37% of Europe’s natural gas.    

This makes it obvious why Europeans are wary of having Russian gas cut off.  It would be hard to keep the lights on, industry would take a heavy hit, and they’d either be colder or poorer as gas prices soar.  But we can do our bit.

How It Works

1. Australians use less natural gas.
2. This makes more natural gas available for export from Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) terminals in WA and QLD.
3. This extra natural gas is exported to Asia.
4. While none of our natural gas goes to Europe, it will cause Asian countries to buy less from the Middle East.
5. Middle Eastern producers send less natural gas to Asia and more to Europe.

By cutting consumption and increasing gas exports, Australia will lower the gas price and make it easier for Europe to place sanctions on the export of Russian gas for as long as Putin has forces in Ukraine — or anywhere else they shouldn’t be.

Maxing Out Our LNG Exports Is OK

If Australia dramatically cuts its natural gas use to support Ukraine, our natural gas export facilities may become maxed out. This is okay because it means more gas will be left in the ground, extending the amount of time Australia will be able to export at its maximum rate.  Most of Australia’s gas now comes from coal seam gas wells with a typical productive life of 10-20 years³. Australia’s gas production will soon start to decline without extensive, expensive, and environmentally destructive investment in new gas extraction. 

How To Get Off Gas

Getting off domestic gas is easy.  You call up your supplier and tell them you’re disconnecting.  You can stick consumer affairs or fair trading on them if they give you any trouble.  Alternatively, don’t pay your bills, and they’ll cut you off without the need to call.  But it’s better for your credit rating to call first. 

You may want to replace your gas appliances before having your gas cut off.  But if you want to strike while the anvil is hot with Putin-flavoured rage, I salute your determination, fortitude, and bravery.  I would also salute your common sense, but I’d have to find it first. 

Gradually replacing gas appliances is an option.  You could get rid of the oldest first or whichever consumes the most gas, usually the water heater.

But gradual replacement means paying the daily gas supply charge for a long time.  Provided it’s within your means, it can make good economic sense to replace everything at once. 

Heat With Your Airconditioner

If you have an air conditioner (AKA a heat-pump), you can use it to heat your home at a lower cost than gas. 

An existing gas heater is 90% efficient and might be made slightly more so, but a heat pump uses less than one third of the energy to harness the same amount of heat and deliver it to your building⁴.

You can read more about gas heating vs air-conditioning here. 

Get Solar

If you install solar panels or have them already, they will provide cheap electricity to run your hot water system and heat your home during the day.  A timer will allow your electric hot water system to switch on when the sun’s up⁵ or you can be trendy and get a home energy management system. 

Australian Grids Using Less Gas

You may be concerned ditching your gas meter will increase the amount of gas used for electricity generation.  Fortunately Australia doesn’t use a lot of gas to generate electricity, and the amount has been decreasing thanks to renewable energy and battery storage.  The percentage of electricity generated from gas last year was the lowest since 2006.

This trend will continue as Australia builds more battery storage, with the exception of temporary increases when coal power stations close.

Get Off Gas To Beat The Rush

Right now, kicking the gas habit will save many households money even if they don’t have solar power.  But it may save them a lot more soon.  Each day that passes without a ceasefire increases the odds European nations will stop buying Russian gas or that Putin will spit the dummy and cut off supply.  When that happens, the price of gas will soar worldwide⁶.

While Australians may be protected from price rises by government subsidies, I’m sure at least some of the cost will be passed on.  If the Australian government is serious about helping Ukraine by maximizing our gas exports, it will pass on all the increases to reduce domestic demand.  And if our government is serious about protecting Australian gas users from financial hardship, it will provide them with a separate payment they can spend on going all-electric.  If all the increase in gas prices is passed onto consumers, you’ll be glad you beat the rush. 

Going Off Oil Also Helps

Europeans are better cushioned from oil shocks than Australians.  This is because those mad fools invested in electric vehicles, public transport, and walkable and bikeable cities.  Even their internal combustion engine vehicles have close to twice the fuel efficiency of Australia’s.  We should reduce oil use to protect ourselves.  But, as a side benefit, we’ll also be helping Europeans and the rest of the world.  Cutting our consumption will make more oil available for everyone else and help limit price rises.

While we may not like higher oil prices, Europe is in a far worse position as it’s under threat of gas and oil shortages at the same time. 

I don’t have gas, so I can’t cut consumption there, but I have a Hyundai Getz and a bicycle.  It will take me time to work my way up to it because my bicycle bones are stiff and sore, but I am committing myself to riding it to the SolarQuotes office even if it kills me.  I guess this means I’m also committed to not riding it to the SolarQuotes office if it does kill me.

Putin On The Fritz

The first rule of international relations is:

Do not invade other countries. 

The second rule of international relations is:

Do not invade other countries

This rule has been broken on numerous occasions.  Sometimes flagrantly by countries that should know better⁷.  But Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has been one of the most blatant breaches for over 75 years.  If we want a peaceful future and continue to enjoy the relative peace the developed world has benefited from for generations, the world’s nations need to take a strong, united stand against Putin’s Russia.  This must continue until Putin withdraws Russian forces from Ukraine or resigns, and his successor does the same.

Sanctions will hurt the Russian people, but we can remove them once Russian forces are withdrawn.  A ceasefire followed by withdrawal and resignation would be the best thing Putin could do for his country and the world, but he may not do what is for the best.  

Some have said age or illness have changed Putin and made him reckless.  I don’t see it this way.  If age and illness have had an effect, it has only been to strip away layers of caution and cunning to reveal the compassionless risk-taker he has always been.  We’re now seeing the quintessential Putin.

He’s too dangerous to be allowed to act unchecked, but opposing him isn’t safe either.  Putin’s Russia has the most nuclear weapons under the control of a heartless sociopath since 14 months ago when Trump was still President. 

Putin was clearly hoping for a quick victory and expecting to control Ukraine by now.  If his frustration causes him to resort to more destructive measures, such as larger-scale bombing and shelling towns and cities, then the world needs to increase sanctions on Russia further.  This can and should include sanctions on Russia’s gas and oil exports.  We can and should do our small part to make this easier for Europe to do. 

Original Source: https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/reduce-gas-use-for-ukraine/