Television is a fixed part of peak use in many households. For many people,the eve on TV, of which EditieNL is also a part, is still a regular fixture.Although it could help to change this habit and turn off the TV, according totelevision expert Tina Nijkamp, this will not be easy.
“The eve is a very important TV moment for many people. If you look at the top10 viewing figures, many programs from the eve always score high,” explainsNijkamp. “For many people it is indeed a habit, but many people also justwatch, as they used to do, to stay informed.”
“We in the media spend all day on the internet and keep up with the news,which is part of our job,” Nijkamp continues. “But many people are justworking outside all day. They really don’t have time to follow the news allday and still want to stay informed. That’s what the evening is really meantfor.”
“I don’t think you can change much about this as EditieNL,” says Nijkamp. “Ofcourse it is a current affairs program so you don’t sit back and watch itagain the next day at 11 o’clock. It really belongs at that moment.”
shabby
Professor of energy technology David Smeulders of Eindhoven University ofTechnology is also not in favor of rigorously changing habits. “I think theidea that we have to save energy in those peak hours because otherwise thingswill go wrong is quite poor, to be honest. That we couldn’t provide thecountry with energy is bizarre. The system just has to be in order.”
“People want to decide for themselves when they shower and watch TV,” Smulderscontinues. “The citizen now has to solve the problems, while that is simplythe task of the government. If everyone turns on the television, it certainlyconsumes a lot of power, but everyone should be able to determine forthemselves how much energy and costs you want to save.”
“The energy network works just like the NS”, explains Smeuulders. “As manywagons are bought as the maximum is needed. It is the same with electricity.We must have available what is needed as much as possible. If we can reducethat maximum, there is of course profit to be made.”
Off peak
“If we travel during off-peak hours, the NS will have to use fewer trains.It’s not that they don’t have the trains, but it’s cheaper if they don’t haveto use them,” continues Smeulders. “That’s how it goes with electricity.Energy companies buy the electricity and get it sold again, that’s no problem.But it’s about the infrastructure.”
“If there is more load on the grid, then new wind farms, solar farms andcables, etc. are needed,” says the professor. “When the electricity demand isspread more evenly, you don’t have to build as much. That is of coursecheaper.”
In addition, the purchase price of energy is also extra high during peakhours, explains Smoulders. “It is a question of supply and demand. If there isa lot of demand during peak hours, prices are high. More expensive powerstations are often used for that peak demand.”
Price incentive
Smoulders thinks that flexible energy tariffs could therefore be an option tomake consumers think better about the distribution of their energyconsumption. “Then you would have to pay more for energy use in the morningand evening than in the afternoon, for example. That way people also get aprice incentive to adjust their behaviour.”