climate change
Survey: Majority of Germans are taking the energy transition too slowly
More than two thirds would like to have a more detailed overview of their electricity consumption more frequently throughout the year. photo
© Henning Kaiser/dpa
A Bitkom survey shows: More than three quarters of Germans want a faster switch to renewable energies. And they expect a lot from digital technologies, but also fear them.
According to a survey by the digital association Bitkom, the majority of Germans are dissatisfied with the pace of the energy transition. For example, 78 percent of the people in the country are moving too slowly from fossil fuels to renewable energies. That is seven percentage points more than last year. A total of 1,008 people were interviewed by telephone for the survey in January and February.
“For the energy transition to succeed, the consumption of fossil fuels must be massively reduced and energy efficiency increased overall,” said Bitkom Executive Committee member Matthias Hartmann. “People in Germany can and want to do their part – but they need practical help and support.”
According to the study, 89 percent of Germans are currently consciously saving energy. Nevertheless, the majority (71 percent) would like to have a more precise overview of their consumption more often during the year. Around a third do not even know their own electricity consumption. 83 percent of those surveyed would like to be able to easily read the power consumption, for example like the remaining data volume on the cell phone.
Digital Technologies: Blessing or Curse?
Hartmann emphasized that this shows that people are becoming more aware of their own electricity consumption. Therefore, not only the interest in digital measuring devices for electricity continues to increase: the majority (74 percent) see digital technologies as an important contribution to the success of the energy transition. Despite this trend, almost three quarters of people (72 percent) fear hackers who could paralyze a digitized power grid.
Based on the survey, the digital association Bitkom calls on politicians to expand information offerings for companies and consumers. In addition to rapid implementation of the law to restart the digitization of the energy transition, programs for a sustainable, digital everyday life must also be funded. For example, people should be able to control their heating intelligently.