The weather forecast for snow, beaches, and now… electricity. France Télévisions undertook this Friday to make the French aware of the actions to be taken to avoid power cuts this winter, by relaying on its antennas Ecowatt, electricity weather forecast.
The president of the public audiovisual group, Delphine Ernotte, and her counterpart of the Electricity transmission network (RTE), manager of the high and very high voltage lines, Xavier Piechaczyk, have signed an “unprecedented partnership” in this direction.
France Télé will thus display on its antennas, when the time comes, pictograms designed as part of the Ecowatt system, which allows users to see in real time the level of electricity available in the country thanks to a signal in three colors: green ( normal), orange (tense), and red (very tense, synonymous with inevitable cuts if nothing is done to reduce consumption).
Specifically, viewers will be invited to change their practices depending on the pictogram on the screen, red should prompt them to moderate their consumption during peak periods, between 8 a.m. and noon and between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Delay the cooking of your “zucchini gratin”
If it is not necessary to turn off your TV, not the most energy-intensive, “you can, for example, start your washing machine at 10 p.m. rather than 7 p.m. “, explains Delphine Ernotte. You can also postpone the cooking of your “zucchini gratin” from 7 p.m. to 7:45 p.m., abounds Xavier Piechaczyk, recalling that heating and cooking are very energy-intensive.
So many gestures to which the public of France Télé will be made aware, ie “4 out of 5 French people each week”, in particular during information programs or “weather-climate” bulletins, according to Delphine Ernotte, who claims a public service mission.
It is not a question of “bringing France to a standstill”, only of “pay attention when necessary”insists Xavier Piechaczyk, who hopes to “save at least 5% of electricity in the evening at 7 p.m.”.
For France Télé, this initiative is part of a broader “environmental shift” to respond to “the climate emergency”, with in particular the creation of a “climate team” among journalists or the “regular relocation” of 13 Hours of France 2 on the places affected by the crisis. The group is also committed to respecting various internal energy sobriety measures, such as switching off lights in all its buildings from 9:30 p.m., and to working with production companies that meet certain criteria, particularly in terms of carbon footprint.
