Wednesday, June 22, 2005
EU wants 20 pct cut in energy use by 2020
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Europe should reduce its energy consumption by 20 percent by 2020 through more efficient technology, the EU executive Commission said Wednesday, helping cut dependency on oil and meet climate change targets.
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A household could save up to 1,000 euros a year in electricity and heating bills by using energy saving lightbulbs, getting rid of old fridges and replacing boilers, he added.
Lightbulbs, sure, even though the initial investment is (relatively) big. And they often enough need replacing anyway.
But boilers? Wouldn't that take about thirty years to recoup costs for replacing something that still works?
Refrigerator: maybe, if the old one is over ten years old.
