EU asks people to use less air conditioning, drive slower, and work from home to help reduce reliance on Russian energy

The European Union wants people to use less air conditioning, drive slower, and work from home in order to reduce dependence on Russian energy.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) and EU published a nine-step plan for people to cut down on fossil-fuel consumption.

The measures to save energy have been suggested.

• Using less heat in the winter and less air conditioning in the summer
• Driving slower on highways
• Flying less
• Taking more public transport
• Working from home

The IEA and EU said that the measures would cut Europe's reliance on Russian energy and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

They said it would save enough oil to fill 120 supertanker ships and enough natural gas to heat 20 million homes in the EU.

The EU and IEA said that most households are experiencing higher energy bills because of the energy crisis.

They said that using less energy is an immediate way for Europeans to reduce their bills and that it also supports Ukraine by reducing the need for Russian oil and gas.

Since the start of the invasion on February 24, Western countries have been trying to pull themselves away from Russian energy imports.

The EU pledged to become independent from Russian oil and gas by the year 2030.

The EU sends Russia $450 million a day for oil and $400 million a day for natural gas, according to analysts at the Bruegel think tank.

Germany is one of Russia's biggest buyers, buying 25% of its oil and 40% of its natural gas.