Intl Energy Agency urges ways to save fuel during crisis

Heard about this today and immediately knew pretty much none of this would fly here in the US. Probably more aimed at countries that aren't net exporters of oil. I've heard that some towns the Philippines have moved to four day work weeks.

If I dared bring this up to the owner of my company, he would sarcastically say I could go elsewhere if I wanted to WFH. He thinks anyone who works remote is a slacker, yet a few people are allowed to do it, and he does it all the time. Plus many long haul flights annually back to Asian home country. He was pissed for months during covid when he wasn't able to fly internationally. I wonder if this might jump start some more progressive companies to allowing WFH or to go hybrid that aren't already.

I can't do anything to cut my fuel usage. I have a Crosstrek that gets about 25-27 mph. I drive 40 miles round trip a day. All on surface streets. Church is three miles away and I'm there several times a week. Otherwise I stay home since I'm not currently diving.

https://www.iea.org/news/new-iea-rep...ly-disruptions

Report link: https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/as...moilshocks.pdf

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Immediate actions to reduce demand:

1. Work from home where possible
Displaces oil use from commuting, particularly where jobs are suitable for remote work.

2. Reduce highway speed limits by at least 10 km/h
Lower speeds reduce fuel use for passenger cars, vans and trucks.

3. Encourage public transport
A shift from private cars to buses and trains can quickly reduce oil demand.

4. Alternate private car access to roads in large cities on different days
Number-plate rotation schemes can reduce congestion and fuel-intensive driving.

5. Increase car sharing and adopt efficient driving practices
Higher car occupancy and eco-driving can lower fuel consumption quickly.

6. Efficient driving for road commercial vehicles and delivery of goods
Better driving practices, vehicle maintenance and load optimisation can cut diesel use.

7. Divert LPG use from transport
Shifting bi-fuel and converted vehicles from LPG to gasoline can preserve LPG for cooking and other essential needs.

8. Avoid air travel where alternative options exist
Reducing business flights can quickly ease pressure on jet fuel markets.

9. Where possible, switch to other modern cooking solutions
Encouraging electric cooking and other modern options can reduce reliance on LPG.

10. Leverage flexibility with petrochemical feedstocks and implement short-term efficiency and maintenance measures
Industry can help free up LPG for essential uses while reducing oil consumption through quick operational improvements.

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I remember when the speed limit during a past energy crisis was 55 mph, lines at gas stations, and Carter coming on TV in a sweater and recommending backing off on home heating. Realistically, I don't see much of that happening again unless gas goes up even more or there are real shortages.

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Originally Posted by Rogar

I remember when the speed limit during a past energy crisis was 55 mph, lines at gas stations, and Carter coming on TV in a sweater and recommending backing off on home heating. Realistically, I don't see much of that happening again unless gas goes up even more or there are real shortages.

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Everything I've read says there won't be shortages here.

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Originally Posted by Rogar

I remember when the speed limit during a past energy crisis was 55 mph, lines at gas stations, and Carter coming on TV in a sweater and recommending backing off on home heating. Realistically, I don't see much of that happening again unless gas goes up even more or there are real shortages.

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I remember him speaking of “the moral equivalent of war” in his cardigan. It was a depressing time. But then came Reagan.

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Originally Posted by LDAHL

I remember him speaking of “the moral equivalent of war” in his cardigan. It was a depressing time. But then came Reagan.

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And fracking, horizontal drilling and oil sand extraction which unlocked massive amount of oil reserves, oil surpluses, and freed us from total energy dependence from the mid-east. Fertilizer is a different issue.

I wonder if big oil in the US is relishing the new profit margins for the same amount of production?

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I remember him speaking of “the moral equivalent of war” in his cardigan. It was a depressing time. But then came Reagan

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Yeah, Reagan was about as depressing as could be. We went from a president who was totally focused on the plight of the common American, and then got Reagan, with his anti-union, welfare queen rhetoric, his collusion in Iran/Contra, Ollie North, Fawn Hall, and so on. From moral to - let's say LESS THAN moral. Terribly depressing, I agree.

NZ appears to be in increasingly bad shape. Australia, too.

Brand new technology has bailed us out of food shortages, a pandemic, and an energy crisis and may not have much to do with politics, although the recent cutbacks in research reduce the odds of bailing us out again.

I think of Reagan as the modern father of de-regulation, which may have some things to do with recent financial crisis and big oil monopolies and their political influences. He could ride a good horse, though.

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Originally Posted by Tradd

NZ appears to be in increasingly bad shape. Australia, too.

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Getting bad here in the UK, too.
Many rural areas are reliant on oil for heating. In some areas, according to a user on a TV bulletin, filling her tanks six weeks ago cost 750GBP. Earlier this week it was 1780 GBP, over double. The govt is saying they will prioritise getting aid to those users. It will still be cold in the Highlands and islands into June.

So ironic that the technologies that can buffer fossil fuel crises like this are the ones that Trump is shutting down.

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Originally Posted by Rogar

And fracking, horizontal drilling and oil sand extraction which unlocked massive amount of oil reserves, oil surpluses, and freed us from total energy dependence from the mid-east. Fertilizer is a different issue.

I wonder if big oil in the US is relishing the new profit margins for the same amount of production?

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I lost a bit of money on an oil shale firm called TOSCO back in the day. Fracking didn’t strike me as practical, which shows you I much I know.

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Originally Posted by early morning

Yeah, Reagan was about as depressing as could be. We went from a president who was totally focused on the plight of the common American, and then got Reagan, with his anti-union, welfare queen rhetoric, his collusion in Iran/Contra, Ollie North, Fawn Hall, and so on. From moral to - let's say LESS THAN moral. Terribly depressing, I agree.

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We went from an ineffectual moralizer to morning in America.

He and Paul Volcker had the courage to bring inflation under control. He oversaw the end of the Soviet Union. But most of all, he made it OK to put the endless whining and self-hatred of the seventies behind us.

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Originally Posted by LDAHL

I lost a bit of money on an oil shale firm called TOSCO back in the day. Fracking didn’t strike me as practical, which shows you I much I know.

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I remember some oil shale developments in western Colorado that went bust in maybe the 70's or 80's. Without making a study of it, I assume the technology has improved. This is what AI says,

"Today, over 79% of U.S. natural gas and 65% of oil is produced via fractured wells."

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Originally Posted by catherine

So ironic that the technologies that can buffer fossil fuel crises like this are the ones that Trump is shutting down.

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I know. After so many mid-east crisis, wars over oil, energy shortages, pollutions, etc., you'd think renewables would not get such resistance. It doesn't make good sense.

I'm glad we are at a point in time where we don't need to do much driving. We do heat our house with oil, but we are on a level billing plan and it's early spring, so we won't feel the full impact on heating our home until the fall. I know that there is a ripple effect though, and increased fuel prices will increase the price of everything else.

This was in today's news. Far be it from me to understand, other than big money in big oil?

The Trump administration announced it will pay nearly $1 billion to French energy giant TotalEnergies in exchange for the company abandoning plans to build offshore wind farms in the Atlantic Ocean and instead pursue fossil fuel projects in the US.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/03/23/climate/trump-totalenergies-offshore-wind-cancellation

[QUOTEhe made it OK to put the endless whining and self-hatred of the seventies behind us.][/QUOTE]

huh, I sure missed all of that, and asking around my age-group of friends and acquaintances, they don't remember it like that, either. We were sure all hyped up for the bicentennial. Glad when the war was finally over. Proud that young people had made a difference in how that war was perceived. Proud that the civil rights movement was ongoing, including the AIM and women's rights, and being implemented (abet in fits and starts). Proud of the increasing opportunities for marginalized groups. Is that the self-hatred and whining you're speaking of?

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Originally Posted by early morning

[QUOTEhe made it OK to put the endless whining and self-hatred of the seventies behind us.]

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huh, I sure missed all of that, and asking around my age-group of friends and acquaintances, they don't remember it like that, either. We were sure all hyped up for the bicentennial. Glad when the war was finally over. Proud that young people had made a difference in how that war was perceived. Proud that the civil rights movement was ongoing, including the AIM and women's rights, and being implemented (abet in fits and starts). Proud of the increasing opportunities for marginalized groups. Is that the self-hatred and whining you're speaking of?

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There was a lot of hatred shown for those who served in the military.

That stupid Vietnam war was pointless, and it is tragic so many young men died in it, and it’s also sad that those who served were treated like crap. I was against the war then and looking back, still am.

There was a lot of stupid violence in the 70s towards The Man which now I suppose we would call corporate entities. You know, the Weathermen bombing buildings, Black Panthers raising hell, student uprisings and etc.

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There was a lot of hatred shown for those who served in the military.

That stupid Vietnam war was pointless, and it is tragic so many young men died in it, and it’s also sad that those who served were treated like crap. I was against the war then and looking back, still am.

There was a lot of stupid violence in the 70s towards The Man which now I suppose we would call corporate entities. You know, the Weathermen bombing buildings Black Panthers raising hell and student uprisings and etc.

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I do not disagree with what you say. There was a lot of frustration with the status quo and frustration (as we see currently) can lead to really bad decisions. But there was a lot of positive energy and a desire to make things better. A sense of being part of a movement that would improve the social structure. I simply don't see it as "self-hatred and whining" - just a lot of people who were trying to improve things for the "common man", which was seen as being to the detriment of "The Man". Having a brother in the military, I was saddened by the treatment of returning vets, although I personally saw more of the "hate the war and the generals, not the soldier" type behaviors. And our government was complicit in the mistreatment of vets, as it is today, abet not to such a degree. Whether one supports any military action or not, the average solider/sailor/etc. involved deserves our respect and appreciation, in addition to any needed post-war assistance from our government.

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Originally Posted by early morning

I do not disagree with you what you say. There was a lot of frustration with the status quo and frustration (as we see currently) can lead to really bad decisions. But there was a lot of positive energy and a desire to make things better. A sense of being part of a movement that would improve the social structure. I simply don't see it as "self-hatred and whining" - just a lot of people who were trying to improve things for the "common man", which was seen as being to the detriment of "The Man". Having a brother in the military, I was saddened by the treatment of returning vets, although I personally saw more of the "hate the war and the generals, not the soldier" type behaviors. And our government was complicit in the mistreatment of vets, as it is today, abet not to such a degree. Whether one supports any military action or not, the average solider/sailor/etc. involved deserves our respect and appreciation, in addition to any needed post-war assistance from our government.

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Yes, truth.