Europe’s energy crisis is prompting official calls for 5-minute showers. No way, some say. “I’ve gotta wash the hair, shave my legs and everything.”
NOORDWIJK, Netherlands— Carla Generaal used to spend 15 minutes in the shower, slowly raising the temperature as the minutes passed. Her boyfriend, who takes one-and-a-half-minute cold showers, couldn’t fathom how she could be so wasteful. He bought her a five-minute sand-filled timer.
The average shower in the Netherlands lasts nine minutes, according to Milieu Centraal, a government-affiliated research organization. It says cutting that to under five minutes could save a household 60 cubic meters a year of natural gas, the fuel many homes use to heat water. Before the energy crisis, 40 billion cubic meters of gas was used annually nationwide, according to Pieter ten Bruggencate, a spokesman for the country’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate.
Rising energy bills and a possible shortage have proved motivation enough, though. “Now I do five minutes and stick to the normal temperature,” she said, adding she has cut the number of baths she takes to one a month. “You can relax somewhere else.” A broad campaign to do that is working, he said. About half of residents now take five-minute showers all or most of the time, according to a government survey.
To limit energy in cooking, Ms. Derks now brings foods such as rice to a boil and then turns off the stove and puts the pot in a cocoon made from her duvet to box in the heat. To wash dishes, she uses an electric kettle to heat some water instead of using gas-heated water from the sink.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
The Dutch have ideas to share with Houston, and vice versaA visit from Queen Máxima of the Netherlands brought civic and business leaders together...
Read more »
Dutch town may ban meat ads in public spaces over climate change: reportA Dutch city is contemplating whether to ban most meat ads in public spaces over the food's contribution to climate change.
Read more »
Add your autumn apples to this cheesy Dutch baby pancakeRecipe: With notes both sweet and savory, this early autumn treat is perfect as a brunch dish or a light supper.
Read more »
Daniel Radcliffe’s ‘Weird Al’ Biopic Is Not Nearly Weird EnoughThere were high hopes for this goofy-sounding biopic, which cast a sexier-than-ever Radcliffe as parody musician Weird Al Yankovic. Boy, does it fail to meet them.
Read more »
Here's how long it would take a typical millennial to save enough to buy a homeWage growth for millennials is being undercut by rising inflation rates, particularly for home rental costs.
Read more »