StroumMonitor, the power barometer for responsible power consumption
Act on your consumption... and at the right time
Let's save electricity during periods of high consumption in Luxembourg
- Green: “Electricity system in balance - But be aware of your consumption”
- Orange: “Electricity system under pressure - Let's try to reduce our consumption”.
- Red: “Electrical system very tense - Let's limit our consumption to avoid blackouts”
- White bars: “Peak hours”
StroumMonitor helps you to consume electricity more efficiently.
StroumMonitor is a power barometer, indicating the national level of electricity supply in Luxembourg. Signals from the energy network operator Creos Luxembourg S.A. guide consumers to adopt good practices and ensure a secure electricity supply for all.
The StroumMonitor alerts the population in case of a power shortage (orange or red signal, depending on the criticality of the situation). In addition, it also indicates the daily peak consumption hours (white bars).
Measures in case of an orange StroumMonitor signal
Companies and business customers:
- Postpone production processes if possible
- Reduce interior lighting in buildings and turn off advertising signs
- Unplug/switch off devices on standby
- Optimize the use of heat pumps by reducing the temperature
Households:
- Shift the use of flexible devices (dishwasher, washing machine, etc.)
- Turn off unnecessary lights
- Unplug/switch off devices on standby
- Avoid high-consumption comfort activities (saunas, steam rooms, etc.)
Measures in case of a red StroumMonitor signal
Keep electricity consumption to a minimum to avoid blackouts!
Adopting good practices in case of a green Stroumonitor signal
Even in times of green signals, it is important that we are aware of our consumption. By adopting good practices every day, we can make a more conscious contribution to climate protection and reduce our energy bills. These gestures are particularly welcome during peak hours, indicated by white bars, in order to make the electricity system more flexible and to limit the production of electricity from fossil fuels, in particular gas.
We can save energy and money in different ways. All the tips on how to use less electricity can be found at www.energie-spueren.lu
Where does the StroumMonitor signal come from?
Like the weather forecast, the signal is a prediction by the energy network operators in Europe of the hourly situation of the electricity supply on a certain day. The main objective is to detect possible risks of imbalance between electricity supply and demand based on hourly predictions for the coming days.
A first prediction of the situation is available three days in advance. It is continuously improved up to the moment ('real time') based on new information from consumers, suppliers and producers of electricity. The network operators compile all this information taking into account the activity on the European markets and the availability of the electricity grid. The process is part of the tasks of the network operator assigned by Regulation (EU) 2019/941 on risk preparedness in the electricity sector. An illustrative explanation of the process can be found here.
- The green signal corresponds to the standard signal of the StroumMonitor. It means that the situation is without any particular risk, with a good balance between consumption and production and a sufficient reserve margin.
- The application of the orange signal results from the prediction of a strained power system and a very low reserve margin.
- Following the same logic, the red signal is activated when there is not enough electricity to cover all needs.
The peak hours (white bars) are the result of a calculation of the electricity imports from Germany, i.e. national consumption minus national production. This state is activated daily during the four hours of highest imports. In Luxembourg, the typical peak periods are the time frame between 11-13h and between 17-19h on working days. In order to consider specific daily profiles of consumption and production (such as the availability of photovoltaics for example), an accurate prediction is made at 4pm the day before to update the white bars of the StroumMonitor.
It should be noted that even if the best available predictions are used, there may still be deviations and unforeseen events in the electricity supply chain.