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English: The IEA’s emergency responses are not limited to releasing oil stocks, but can also include measures to reduce oil consumption. The Agreement on an International Energy Programme, the IEA’s founding document, requires all Member countries to maintain demand restraint measures sufficient to temporarily reduce normal oil consumption by up to 10% in an emergency.

However, simply having demand restraint measures on the books does not guarantee that these will be effectively implemented and that oil use will automatically decline. Well-organised planning and preparation is indispensable. Demand restraint measures mostly target the transport sector, because that’s generally where most oil is consumed. But they can be effective in other sectors too. Where oil is used for heating residences, consumption can be substantially reduced through public campaigns to encourage turning down the thermostat a few degrees during the winter. When industry sector uses oil for processes or power, limits on operating times can reduce consumption.

In the face of the emerging global energy crisis triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the International Energy Agency’s 10-Point Plan to Cut Oil Use proposes 10 actions that can be taken to reduce oil demand with immediate impact – and provides recommendations for how those actions can help pave the way to putting oil demand onto a more sustainable path in the longer term.