Early warning signs? In its forecasts for the winter, RTE was especially worried about the month of January, considering that red Ecowatt days could not be ruled out, but is there a risk for the month of December? As a reminder, three colors are used by the network manager depending on the situation on the electrical network.
Several factors could lead to overconsumption of electricity in France and one of them is unpredictable, the weather. The abnormally mild temperatures of autumn allowed the French not to turn on their heating and therefore to reduce their energy consumption, but the cold did indeed arrive with the month of December. The thermometer started to drop last weekend and it will be even worse in the coming days, with negative temperatures expected in almost all of France on Saturday and Sunday morning. If the mercury will be above zero in certain departments, we will remain well below seasonal norms throughout the country.
As Le Figaro explains, based on RTE’s forecasts, two consumption peaks are expected in the coming days: the first Thursday, December 8 at 7 p.m. and the second Monday, December 12 at 12 p.m. The network manager is not worried about tomorrow, since the Ecowatt signal is green, as you can see on the dedicated site. What about Monday, December 12? Asked by the daily, Nicolas Golberg, energy expert at Columbus Consulting, explains: “If it continues to be really cold, we could have a first orange Ecowatt alert on Monday”.
RTE will give the alert if the electrical system is strained, inviting the French to reduce their energy consumption. If an orange signal does not mean that there is a risk of cuts, it is still essential to make efforts at this time, by adopting the eco-gestures, which you can find below.
