Drive less and work from home as Iran shocks power, EU official urges – National
The European Union’s energy commissioner is calling on people in the bloc to drive less, work from home and use other means to reduce demand for oil and gas as the war in Iran drags on.
The EU is asking its member states to implement the International Energy Agency’s 10-point plan to reduce global oil demand, said Dan Jørgensen, the EU’s energy commissioner, during a press conference on Tuesday.
“Since the start of the conflicts in the Middle East, EU prices have increased by almost 70 percent for gas and 60 percent for oil,” he said.
“We should not be fooled that the effects of this crisis on the electricity market will be temporary. Because they won’t,” he added.
Jørgensen listed some of the 10 steps the IEA, of which Canada is a member, is asking members to implement.
First, the IEA recommendations ask people to “work from home where possible.”
Member states are also asked to “reduce road speed limits by at least 10 km/h.”
This measure dates back to the oil price shock of 1973, when the US set a national speed limit of 89 km/h (55 mph) on all highways in 1974, a limit that was not lifted until 1995.
Driving at high speeds burns more fuel, while driving slowly uses less.
IEA member countries are asked to promote public transport, change the way private car access to roads in major cities on different days, increase car sharing and adopt efficient driving habits.
Get the latest country news
Get the best Canadian news delivered to your inbox as it happens so you never miss a trending story.
The IEA also encourages switching to “modern cooking solutions” such as electric cooking to reduce reliance on gas for cooking.
The recommendations cannot be “one-size-fits-all,” Jørgensen said, adding that the EU “does not expect all member states to use all 10 instruments to reduce demand.”
“But it’s a very good toolbox and we strongly recommend that each country look at what opportunities they have,” he added.
The EU needs to “avoid fragmented national responses,” he said, calling for a coordinated approach.
Energy-saving measures will not be temporary, he said, adding that the energy infrastructure near the Persian Gulf was “destroyed” by the Iran war.
“Even if that peace is still there tomorrow, we will not return to normal in the future,” he said.
In Canada, the BC General Employees Union is calling on the province to “allow provincially regulated workers, where possible, to work from home full time” as the Iran crisis continues.
“Gas price hikes are putting an unnecessary burden on workers across the province,” said BCGEU president Paul Finch.
“The provincial government has the opportunity to help reduce that burden by allowing workers to work from home. In addition to reducing the pain felt by the pump, this step will help reduce gas emissions and congestion,” he added.
How Asian countries are reacting
Earlier this month, several Asian countries that rely heavily on imported energy imposed energy-saving measures as their oil and gas supplies were affected, raising costs.
In Thailand, the order for civil servants to work from home for the foreseeable future came with another request, too – Thailand’s prime minister also ordered measures including halting overseas travel and using stairs instead of elevators.
Pakistan has approved a four-day work week, work-from-home measures for a larger public service and ordered all universities to hold classes online, citing “conservation of resources.”
Vietnam’s government has asked private companies to consider allowing their workers to work from home, while India has asked buyers of liquefied petroleum gas to avoid panic buying.
Sri Lanka introduced fuel rationing on Sunday to extend the life of its supplies. Under this new system, motorcycles will be given 5 liters, cars 15 liters and buses 60 liters of fuel per week.
The island nation has received fuel shipments until the end of April, officials at the state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation told reporters in Colombo, adding that police would be deployed to reduce queues and reduce cash collection.
– With files from Reuters
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
