Japan begins 3-month energy-saving period to conserve electricity

I refuse to play this game.

I'll comply when all the advertising hoardings are turned off, when the pachinko parlors are closed, and when offices open the blinds and turns off the lights.

Was at a place today where the a/c was set to 26 degrees yet the window were open to compensate for the threat of Covid.

Resulted in a very uncomfy room.

How to save energy on switching off the Aircon? It is better to leave it on a higher temp then switching off and blast at night again. Secondly, what about all the neon lights and huge advertisement screen in the city? The many unnecessary traffic lights at night and even during the day. There is some much more that can be done. Insulation of the houses, it is horrible; in the winter is freaking cold in the house and in the summer one cannot tough the wall due to the heat. Good luck with current heat wave and the next one that will come soon.

David@

I remember back in 1973, at the time of the Arab oil embargo. My uncle, who drove a huge, gas-guzzling Lincoln Continental, said the same thing, you did, more or less. He still insists there's no such thing as global warming, but he's downsized to a Toyota compact, and is amazed by its nimble handling, comfort and efficiency. Appliances, too, have become smarter and more efficient, so you might be conserving even though you're unaware of it. And there's nothing wrong with saving money on your electric bills.

Here's to surviving the summer.

Why only 3 months?

People should be saving power at all times.

As a foreigner in Japan the government does nothing for me but take my money.

Why should I comply?

Bugger that. It's not our fault Japan has stuffed up its electricity supply. We have 2 ac's permanently set at 23 degrees for the next 90 days 24 hours a day along with one or two electric fans. We've paid our denki-dai every month on time for 18 years.

No. Families should not have to comply.

When PM Kishida wears a pair of shorts in the Diet and gives up taking two jetliners on his trips out of Japan then I may change my tune, until then…..

Time to reconsider making geothermal more cost efficient by using it for mining bitcoin. Look it up

Japanese households and businesses on Friday entered a three-month period to conserve electricity to prevent a power crunch amid a record-breaking heat wave, marking the first time in seven years that the government has made such a request.

What does it mean a "period to conserve electricity"? is it just a time where the government ask for measures to be taken, even if nothing is actually done?

The warning was lifted for Friday as concern over a power crunch eased, but the risk of an electricity shortage remains due to issues such as aging thermal power plants.

Japan had a lot of time to prepare for this, climate change is nothing secret and there are plenty of options that could have been taken to alleviate the problem.

Do one Japan.

I pay my taxes and bills. I'll do as I please with my electricity use, as all businesses and offices seem to

first thing I did when I moved into my current apartment was have the aircon and the giant ceiling fluoro-contraptions removed..... fortunate to live by the beach, so I have 'natural aircon' (lots of sliding doors so almost constant breezes). daresay I'll get thumbs-downed for this.... or get zapped for off topic.... LOL.

Was 38° in Hyogo today. My little aircon just couldn't cool one room from 2-5pm.

Ah yes, that time again when businesses turn off the electric hand drier on me but leave everything else running.

I walked through Shibuya this afternoon. My aircon is staying on until something changes there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RX_NCBuV_Z0

The supermarket near my place has started the practice. Half of the lights are off.

Bugger that. It's not our fault Japan has stuffed up its electricity supply. 

No it's not our fault. But if the grid buckles and the lights and ac go out, you're not going to have any choice are you.

Energy-saving measures are especially encouraged between 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., when solar power generation declines.

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And after 8p.m. when the sun has set and is NOT shinning on the solar panels, What meassures should be taken then when they produce ZERO energy ?

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Energy savings will be linked to the weather

One of the biggest and worst electricity consuming households is the so called ECO water boilers, they keep hot water available on demand 24/7 and the use electrical heaters . Need it or not the water is constantly heated to a set temp. like 36 or 38c . all this so it's ready to use.

They are using power all day and night, those who own them know what it feels like when their electricity bi is averaging 45,000 to 65,000 yen a month and the power companies love them.. the government should ban these guzzlers and encourage people to use Gas or kerosene boilers.

Nah! It's their fault they should restart the nuclear plants. Besides, I'm the one paying for the bill, am I not?

One of the biggest and worst electricity consuming households is the so called ECO water boilers

Totally agree. We bought a used house and remodeling everything. The old owners got suckered and went electric with the IH stove and water heater. Only 5 years old. We scraped both and went to gas. I saved the tank though and can’t decided if I should make a standing smoker or an outside bath. It would make a great orgasmatron if needed. Used the metal casing to make a fan vent for my gas oven that we use daily.

Ah yes, that time again when businesses turn off the electric hand drier on me but leave everything else running.

You have electric hand dryers operating (up till now) around you??!!

In my area, and in vast expanses beyond where I live, I have not seen a functioning hand dryer for 2+ years! They all still have crappy paper signs stating how the air circulation may spread coronavirus, so they apologize for no drying option (only about 40-50% of places opted to offer paper towels instead).

I can not be alone with this predicament....

We have 2 ac's permanently set at 23 degrees for the next 90 days 24 hours a day along with one or two electric fans.

This is the way!

Why the hell is this even a thing. My AC stays on when it's hot and humid, period. The government can go to hell.

I'm with the posters above; my air-con stays on, especially during this insane heat (caused in part by all the drilling and burning of oil, coal, etc.). They've had ages to address the problem, but instead threaten us and suggest we have no choice but to restart the NPPs to make this no longer a problem. In fact, it took the deaths of a few people for them to even start saying we could still use air-cons but need to save in other ways.

Classic case of passing the buck. Aircon is a necessity in this heat, and that is the only real energy drain in most houses. Industrial energy use is the issue, so dont try and guilt trip us for this situation.

Wait...what?? I agree with most above.

No one announced to me we were entering 3 months of energy saving. Even if some dude came up to me in the street and 'announced' I would answer...'what exactly are you doing with my taxes?'

Society runs on electricity. Everything has been built around it. Until that changes, the whole thing is just a house of cards ready to collapse at any time.

This wouldn't be an issue if they insulated their homes. It could cut energy consumption in half.

I never really trusted air-conditioning as used today in most offices and hotel rooms. I even think that's very unhealthy because of the enormous difference of temperature/humidity levels with outside environment. We can easily make without such artificial and unnatural ways of coping with summer conditions.

Except that air conditioning is one of the top 10 inventions ever to improvise the lives and productivity of people and industries.

People aren't the problem -- businesses are. At home, we always only use lights and air con in rooms being used. Our home is dark and hot throughout the day, as is mostly the case with our neighbors.

But at the offices where I've worked, all of the ceilings are always a blaze of harshly bright light, including sunlit offices with floor to ceiling windows. The lights and air con stay switched on at least 15 hours a day thanks to Japan's office culture.

Japan , where it feels a bit like a communist dictatorship with a lot of government overreach and anti free speech laws, but it’s ok because democracy…with a one party rule.

So when I go back home to Nihon I don't have to wear a mask outdoors anymore?? YATTA YATTA!!

Also, in winter, prepare for it to be gas saving measures…

Just another excuse to put pressure on those who don’t want the ancient nuclear power plants to be restarted! If they had of spent some money on infrastructure and gas fired plants this wouldn’t even be a problem. Bunt no let’s cater to the power companies with presidents who are older than their nuclear power plants!

Japanese households and businesses on Friday entered a three-month period to conserve electricity

Not sure about this affirmation

You have electric hand dryers operating (up till now) around you??!!

Actually, I was surprised to find the ones in my office building are indeed operating. It had been so long I almost didn't check!

As soon as the calendar switches to September, you can bet your house that the women in my office will get the blankets out and crank the heating up to 28C for the next six months because samui desu ne?

We only have to save energy in the summer. All winter long, the trains will be super-heated and the offices will be saunas.

We Japanese live in harmony with our unique four seasons, my back passage.

My AC and lights stay on for as long as I want them to.

I'm tired of all this cow manure.

YOUR 3 month energy saving period, not mine.