Europeans dial down the heating, heed calls to save energy

Europeans have dialled down their heating this winter, apparently heeding government calls to conserve energy amid the Ukraine crisis, with some delaying switching it on by almost a month and setting the temperature lower, data shows.

The data, from hundreds of thousands of smart thermometers installed in households across the continent by Munich-based company Tado, shows that as temperatures dropped, households responded to dire warnings about higher heating costs.

People and businesses across Europe are increasing their use of such smart thermometers to keep an eye on how much gas they are using. These are sometimes linked to an energy provider's tariff structure to smooth demand and reduce peak costs. Germany has made them obligatory in new builds.

In the winter of 2022-23, the proportion of homes with heating switched on across Europe passed 90% on November...