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IEA calls for demand-side measures to reduce energy consumption

20 March 2026

The International Energy Agency (IEA) outlined a range of demand-side actions that governments, businesses and households can take to alleviate the economic impacts of the disruptions to oil markets stemming from the war in the Middle East.

The conflict has created “the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market,” the IEA stated in a new report. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries around 20% of global oil consumption, reduced to a trickle. Around 20 million barrels per day of crude oil and oil products typically transit the Strait. The loss of these flows has tightened markets significantly, pushing crude oil prices above $100 per barrel and driving even sharper increases in refined products, including diesel, jet fuel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

In an interview with the Financial Times, the IEA executive director Fatih Birol said that the world is facing what could be the most severe energy crisis in history, while politicians and markets are underestimating the scale of the disruption. “It will be six months for some (sites) to be operational, others much longer,” Birol told Financial Times.

The IEA has outlined ten immediate actions, closely resembling energy lockdown behaviors, that could be implemented to reduce energy demand:

  1. Work from home where possible
    Working from home can significantly reduce oil consumption from commuting. At the national level, three additional remote workdays, for those whose jobs allow for it, could cut oil consumption from cars by 2%-6%, with average potential reductions of around 20% for individual drivers.
  2. Reduce highway speed limits by at least 10 km/h
    Lowering the speed limit on highways by 10 km/h can reduce an individual driver’s oil consumption by 5% to 10% and overall oil use for private cars by 1% to 6%. Heavy freight trucks can save around 5% due to their already lower speeds.
  3. Encourage public transport
    Shifting travel away from private cars to public transport, such as buses and trains, can reduce national oil use for cars by 1% to 3%. Options like cycling and walking for shorter journeys can lead to further reductions.
  4. Alternate private car access to roads in large cities on different days
    Limiting cars’ access in designated zones to specific days based on their number plate could reduce traffic congestion, engine idling and fuel-intensive stop-and-go driving, with savings of 1% to 5% of national car oil use.
  5. Increase car sharing and adopt efficient driving practices
    Carpooling increases car occupancy and relieves road congestion, reducing travel times and car usage. When combined with eco-driving measures, including checking tyre pressure, adjusting air conditioning settings, and efficient driving practices, fuel demand for cars can be reduced by around 5% to 8%.
  6. Efficient driving for road commercial vehicles and delivery of goods
    Eco-driving practices, including regular checks of tire pressure, reduced idling, and reduction of braking and accelerating, combined with operational improvements, such as optimisation of vehicle loads, can reduce fuel demand for road commercial vehicles by 3% to 5%.
  7. Divert LPG use from transport
    Around 2% of the global car fleet runs on LPG. Switching on gasoline in converted vehicles or bi-fuel ones can preserve LPG supplies for prioritised uses, such as cooking.
  8. Avoid air travel where alternative options exist
    A reduction of around 40% of flights taken for business purposes is feasible in the short term and, with very high participation in work-related flight reduction campaigns, could reduce jet kerosene demand by 7% to 15%.
  9. Where possible, switch to other modern cooking solutions
    As LPG supply becomes increasingly constrained, greater adoption of electric and other alternative modern cooking solutions could manage potential cooking fuel shortages alongside other measures to conserve LPG in other non-essential applications.
  10. Leverage flexibility with petrochemical feedstocks and implement short-term efficiency and maintenance measures
    Prioritising the processing of oil feedstocks with higher volumes available can release pressure on other oil products. Optimising equipment operations and maintenance can reduce oil use in individual facilities by up to 5%.

Source: International Energy Agency