Electricity consumption in Danish holiday homes is rocketing skywards

Although electricity used by Danish detached houses has remained stable since 1990, second and holiday home usage has risen by almost 40%. The Danish Electricity Saving Trust is taking steps to address the issue by offering Danish second and holiday home owners practical advice to lower their consumption.

21.03.2007

Spring is in the air and many Danes are spending the Easter holidays preparing their holiday homes for the new season. However, the majority of owners are unaware that electricity consumption in these homes is at an all-time high. In fact, usage is so high that it is approaching consumption levels of Danes’ main residences, despite the fact that second and holiday homes are only used at weekends and for the main holiday weeks.

Good advice for second and holiday home owners
There are 220,000 holiday homes in Denmark, which collectively consume 684 GWh of electricity. This is equivalent to about 3,000 kWh per home per year. The comparative figure for the average detached home in Denmark is 4,020 kWh, which means that the average family uses about three quarters of the total used in their main residences.

Göran Wilke, Head of Secretariat at the Trust believes that this is a worrying trend, which is why the Trust is spearheading a campaign focused at existing and future holiday home owners.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE ABOVE IS A SUMMARY OF THE ORIGINAL DANISH PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE TRUST.

Copies of the original press release and further information are available from:

Göran Wilke, Head of Secretariat
The Danish Electricity Saving Trust
Tel.: +45 33 95 58 01
Mobile: +45 21 20 55 58
E-mail: gw@elsparefonden.dk


Good advice on saving electricity in holiday homes
  1. Make sure that your holiday home is well insulated. The house heats up faster, and you use less electricity during the winter to keep the property frost free.
  2. Use a wood burning stove and keep consumption used by electric heaters to a minimum.
  3. Restrict the use of electric heaters when the house is empty, for instance when the temperature is above freezing. 
  4. Install a solar heating system for hot water. In the summer months this can satisfy all your hot water needs.
  5. If your heating requirements are large, it makes sense to install a heat pump. In autumn 2007, the Trust will be making recommendations on programmable energy efficient heat pumps.
  6. Use recommended A-rated energy saving bulbs in your lamps – both indoors and outdoors.
  7. Purchase A-rated large appliances (A+ and A++ fridges and freezers). Avoid installing your old worn-out appliances in your holiday home.
  8. Switch off as many electrical appliances as possible when you leave the house by turning off the circuits at the main switch. Standby consumption is growing.

Page last updated 21.11.2008