The consequence of the heat hitting Lithuania: increased sales of refrigeration equipment and more electricity consumption

According to the press release, according to the survey, 88 percent. 9% of those surveyed consider that winter is the main culprit for electricity demand. – in autumn and 1%. – in the spring. The electricity supply company Elektrum Lietuva, which initiated the survey, warns that the portrait of electricity consumers who emit in summer is the first sign that the response to the climate crisis is already beginning at the domestic level.

“In our climate zone, winters are the busiest season for energy demand. Perhaps spring has devalued slightly because it is still quite cold and houses continue to warm. However, although the peak of electricity consumption in the summer It is still relatively small, 2 percent. The country’s population, we notice that electricity consumption increases more and more during the warm season. It seems that the increase in electricity consumption is felt more by those residents who can afford to refrigerate their homes: representatives of the big cities, who also receive the highest incomes, ”says Neringa Petrauskienė, manager of marketing and product development at Elektrum Lietuva.

Sales of air conditioners, fans, and other refrigeration equipment are entirely dependent on the temperature outside the window, appliance salespeople say. This year’s heat is no exception.

“Sales of refrigeration equipment started to grow dramatically from mid-June before the first heat and in the first hot days they exceeded the usual sales of fans and air conditioners by 10 times. In the hottest week in June, sales of refrigeration equipment grew more than 30 times and exceeded the sales results of all refrigeration products from the previous year, ”says Ieva Račkauskaitė, Product Manager of Topo Centras.

Although the popularity of air conditioners grows rapidly every year, sales of fans are still several times faster than sales of air conditioners. As the number of home appliances increases, so does the consumption of electricity, for example, in the United States alone, air conditioners consume about 5 percent annually. ALL ELECTRICITY. There is no data on the amount of electricity allocated for refrigeration in Lithuania, but according to N. Petrauskienė, the growth trends are obvious.

“Hydrometeorologists confirmed that June this year was the second hottest in Lithuania since 1961, and on June 23, the temperature in Rokiškis even rose to +34 degrees Celsius. Although after long gloomy months of cold in Lithuania we tried to rejoice in summer, it seems that we are starting to pay our price for a really hot climate: it remains to adapt our home to the hot climate, ”says N. Petrauskienė.

According to the survey, the highest summer electricity consumption in major cities was 3%. surveyed, with less than one percent in smaller cities and 2 percent in rural areas. Meanwhile, in winter, the highest electricity consumption in cities is 89%, in smaller cities – also 89%, and in regions – 84%. population.

Judging from the financial situation, 3 percent. Households with a monthly income of more than € 700 per member state that summer is the one that consumes the most electricity. In comparison, if the family income per person is up to 300 euros, in summer only 1 percent is mentioned. surveyed.

“Periodically, the heat that flooded the country sooner or later had to affect consumer behavior. Obviously, the topic of the climate crisis has already made the headlines, so I predict that the demand for electricity should increase in the future during the summer.

Of course, understanding our responsibilities and contributions, we must choose electricity at any time of the year that does not make things worse: a green solar power plant, own or remote. Even the slightest effort to conserve the earth is significant today, especially when it coincides with economic circumstances: as the price of electricity continues to rise, residents and businesses are investing in much cheaper and sustainable solar energy ” , notes N. Petrauskienė.

Spinter Research surveyed 1,010 people between the ages of 18 and 75 from May 18 to 28 of this year.