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© KYODOGov't to request energy-saving measures in winter over power crunch concerns
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© KYODO
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El Rata
Their winter request will be dully ingnored as I enjoy some hot wine in my toasty home. I pay my bills anyway, am I not?
Algernon LaCroix
A manufactured crisis if ever there was one.
I'll take notice of it when the envirovangelists who lecture us from the comfort of their private jets and plush taxchump-funded offices live the way they expect us to.
So, not anytime soon.
Seigi
Another one of those invented propaganda to control people's lives.
What happened to the STAY HOME SAVE LIVES fiasco?
purple_depressed_bacon
This has got to be the funniest thing I've read all morning. Saving power? In winter? In Japan with their poorly insulated houses? I highly doubt people want to freeze to death in their own homes so nope. This request will be promptly ignored.
Spitfire
@purple.
Spot on my friend.
Japanese houses are like fridges in the Winter.
Meiyouwenti
The government to issue a power-saving request in the dead of winter? Looks like Japan is rapidly becoming a third-world country.
koiwaicoffee
I'd want to see these "industry ministry officials" households during the winter and how they accomplish the energy saving measures they request.
@purple
So right. And don't forget that most people tend to use aircon for heating.
SDCA
I can at least handle the cold a lot better by wearing more clothes. But don't ever tell me to turn off my A/C again when it is 38 degrees and humid outside!
ballsahoy
You have to ask yourself why now? Decreasing population, increased energy costs, and stagnant household incomes don't lead to more energy consumption.
This is to increase public support for nuclear energy and turning back on the nuclear power plants shut since the 2011 Earthquake.
wallace
Installed electricity capacity
Peak national demand is 150GW.
Total generating capacity in Japan came to 312.8 GW at the end of fiscal 2020.
This consisted of 51.1% thermal power
(14.7% coal, 26.9% LNG, and 9.5% oil),
10.6% nuclear power,
15.7% hydro, and
22.5% renewables (excluding hydro).
Development of 20.9 GW of generating capacity is planned to be completed by fiscal 2030. This consists of 5.05 GW of thermal power, 5.3 GW of renewables (excluding hydro), and 10.3 GW of nuclear power.
Chabbawanga
Stop relying on the average joe to deal with this mess. Invest more in energy innovation. Become a world leader in the field and make bank. Too much faffing about hoping that things will solve themselves, and in the meantime hoping refular folks dont mind living in the cold and dark.
PTownsend
The above is a current event being used by Japanese leaders, government and corporate to shade the reality that they have known since the 1930s they needed to find ways to deal with energy issues. The decision was made and remains to rely on nuclear power, with another option to continue to depend on Russia, the US or a Gulf country to provide Japan with fuel, in part because Japanese leaders have not found alternatives. Putin's war in Ukraine has thrown the world into a bigger mess, but Japan, Inc. have blundered regarding energy for generations, and it seems unlikely the aging rulers in government and business today will do anything much different from what their parents and grandparents did. Energy inefficient houses and buildings will continue to be built the same ways they long have been. Government and corporate leaders will be able to afford to keep their homes warm, but the rest of us will pay even more and spend ever increasing amounts for warmer clothes and blankets.
kohakuebisu
They're heat pumps are efficient as heaters, but the load is much greater in winter, getting 5C outside to 20 something inside is much harder than 35 outside down to 27 or so inside in summer.
Regardless of Ukraine and the weak yen, the government should have been ramping up electricity production anyway because it wants people to use electric cars and is building the maglev, both of which need lots of juice. Add electric planes, higher performance electronics, electric agricultural machinery, electric trucks (if possible), and you need more and more electricity needed.
ian
Interested to see if people ( I mean the Japanese) will be as cooperative as before
Mr Kipling
It comes as the supply of liquefied natural gas used to fuel thermal power plants remains strained due to market disruptions stemming from some western countries failed sanctions on Russian gas and oil.
didou
More ponts to get next winter
Ubesh
The Russian sanctions are such a silly obsession by western governments and seems to hurt the west more. The majority of the world still trades with Russia.
ClippetyClop
That’s not a bad idea! There are 2.5 million drinks jihanki in Japan, and I once read that they use as much power as a small household.
HBJ
Step 1: Turn off all vending machines.
Step 2: Turn off all neon signage.
Let's see what the reserve supply capacity is now.
ian
What would the people who depend on that industry eat?
ClippetyClop
@Roy Sophveason
Appreciate the update. I'm still thinking of going around town and unplugging 'em all though.
shogun36
Gov't to request energy-saving measures in winter over power crunch concerns
Why?
Regular, normal people just put on a sweater or socks and they are good.
The only people blasting the HEATER on in the winter are the women (and in a lot of cases, Japanese men) that claim it's cold in the office (with a thermostat of 27 degrees) when in reality it is boiling hot.
The only people blasting the HEATER are the morons in the shopping malls, trains and other public areas in early October, whether it is 31 degrees outside or not. They go by the calendar only, not by the actual weather.
These are the lunatics who are wasting energy in the winter.
Just put on another deezam layer!
リッチ
How about changing the clock so the sun rises around 7am and sets at 6 so people can use the full effects of the sun warming their homes and offices in the used part of the day. 4am Sunrise is amazingly early.
proxy
@buua
Drink vending machines are extremely efficient and use substantially less energy than a combini fridge.
When somone opens a fridge door a large volume of air is escapes. Once a vending machine has reached 4C it can stay at that temperature without using much energy.
ClippetyClop
What about the machines that sell both hot and cold drinks? Or ones that are in full 30C / -5 heat for 12 hours a day? Are we supposed to use less electricity at home to accomodate the existence of these machines that don't have to?
I understand that jihanki are a national treasure, but if they went would we really miss them? There's always a conbini a few yards away.
I admit that they are occasionally convenient and welcome, but bloody hell, come on.
noriahojanen
Reactivate nuclear power plants, many of which are cleared of safety inquiry. It's unreasonable to them unused while succumbing to the energy shortage or rising (speculative) energy prices. We are living in an emergency situation, and our response should be extraordinary.
GBR48
The first duty of government is to keep the lights on. Failure to do so should mean they resign from office, en bloc.
Judging by the photo this will be good news for opticians.
As for the environmental angle, having people turn to burning wood to keep warm is not going to help. And you may get evicted from your apartment.
proxy
@ClippetyClop
Same for hot. They are well insulated and once heated the machines are super efficient. For almost a decade, peak shift vending machines have been in use; cooling and heating are done during off peak hours and only use electricity for temperature control for 8 hours a day. Some even have internal batteries so that operation can continue even if a disaster cuts all power.
kurisupisu
When the politicos in the Diet stop wearing ties and suits in the summer and start wearing coats in the winter then there might be some examples for the Japanese to follow..
diego
Close all pachinko in Japan than you will save a lot of energy!
JTC
I'm becoming tired of things here... The Government is double-faced.
As an example, whilst shopping at one of my formerly favorite stores, I asked for X number of plastic bags - for which they charge 1 yen apiece. They refused..... other branches of the same store comply readily, and I tried to explain that I used these bags for "daily rubbish", which a 1 yen apiece if way cheaper than when you buy rubbish bags in stores elsewhere.
As such, this "Government" restriction is a covert Tax upon the people - presumably, those within Government have invested in the manufacturers of said "approved" rubbish bags and are literally raking it in...
This is just an example of how I distrust the Government here... it's a small thing - but, if they mess us over with small things, then where does it stop ?
JT may say this is off topic, however I somewhat disagree... every household needs to conserve money in order to pay for energy, etc. Waste disposal in Japan is a bit... old fashioned - you need to use Plastic bags, and those bags are expensive when you have a Family and have more waste, each one is essentially money that you are throwing away down the drain.
The shop keeper (manager) in question , was a reasonable person, and listened to me, he gave me the bags that I paid for, and explained to me, that this was a "Government" thing...
I have a garbage bin, and if I simply dumped waste into it, the Garbage collection teams would simply not take it away... so "Plastic" bags are the only accepted way of disposal.
Now have a think about this, and the parallels, to the so called "request" from the Government... they're living in Cloud Coocoo land, and should have advisors who understand how "real people" live their daily lives before making such stupid requests, and the same goes for Companies who Employee those same people... this Government hasn't got a plan, and it hasn't got any intelligence within its ranks.... Sadly, us Foreigners have no right to vote, and therefore we live in a non-democratic society subjected to North Korean/CCP like controls...
Jonathan Prin
@kohakuebisu
Sorry, wrong.
Energy cost would be higher in order of scale about 2.5 to 3 times, because of the needed humidity control. I´ve just checked the air Mollier diagram. Then one can add that the energy efficiency is also reduced from heat pump is reduced in winter on average (pump providing heat...)
So A/C is way more consuming in summer than what it is consuming in winter in the case you presented.
JeffLee
If my modern Tokyo home had an efficient and effective heating system, I'd heed the call. But as we struggle to keep the place comfortably warm in the depths of winter, I shall have to ignore this request.
JTC
Waste Management can be better. I'd have thought, that Japan would have been on the leading edge of this... but it is not. And the end result, is a waste of "Energy" ... (relevant to this Story)...
I would suggest, that Individual Apartments be provided with Plastic containers within which they can store waste, and then carry to a collective apartment waste disposal area and wash. That would negate the need for plastic bags....
As for individual Residences - the same could be applied - a Self-washing Bin Station, for each Residence in one fixed nearby location....
I often think, that there's a lack of Imagination here these days, where once, imagination flourished.
kurisupisu
In the age of high speed internet and online conferencing the Japanese PM is still afforded two airliners on each and every foreign excursion.
One airliner, on one trip uses enough fuel to power a Kei car (or any other) several times around the world or at least a lifetime of fuel for the high end user!
Those in power are not willing to forgo their mass consumption but expect the millions in Japan to reduce heating in their drafty 1LDKs?
What a joke!
JTC
It is time, for Politicians around the World to be held accountable, for their Interests in Companies that they have connections to, via Family, or Investiture.
diagonalslip
to judge by the photo, the government wants to keep us in the dark. can this possibly be? (^_-)
Andy
Japanese government, yet again blaming the Ukraine intervention for their lack of foresight. Insulation and solar panels on all buildings. My family did this year's ago, we will not be freezing.
kurisupisu
And if I want to cool down I walk up to my local post office where the air con is set to near zero…
wanderlust
Many houses now run on LED lighting, very low power consumption, and only on when people are present.
But walking outside in the town centres, shops, banks, stations, and office spaces, there are a large number of digital signage screens, 40" and larger, continually on and in your face, advertising products and services which consume quite a lot of power and generate heat.
Include them in the reduce or switch off list!
Chabbawanga
The problem is people who use these "daily rubbish bags". Use the main trash can in your kitchen or at work. Lazy
garypen
Nope. At least not in my case. My electric bills are always higher in the winter than the summer. The only difference? Aircons set to heat instead of cool. I would say they use more electricity to bring temps up to comfortable levels during JP winters than to bring them down to comfortable levels during JP summers, at least in Kansai.
Gas bill is also higher in cold months, as one would expect, due to requiring more energy to heat the water, and also almost-nightly ofuro, which are suspended during warmer months.
Temyong
European and global leaders were laughing at Trump when he warned them of their over dependence on Russian energy and their clean green energy fantasy. Now that reality bites, Europe is facing a very cold winter and a looming recession or depression. They have stopped manufacturing because of rising energy cost. Energy takes away money from disposable income of ordinary folks. Going green means poverty. The Germans are scouring the forest trying to find wood to burn in the coming winter.
Japan shouldn’t go down this green clean path to poverty. Unleash Japan’s nuclear energy for abundant, efficient, cheap and clean supply of energy.