Austria is urging its citizens to make small behavioural changes in an attempt to reduce the country’s electricity consumption by 11%.

This is part of a new energy-saving campaign known as “Mission 11” that was unveiled by Austria’s Climate Minister, Leonore Gewessler on Monday.

“Today, we are launching Mission 11, and we hope as many as possible will join us,” she stated.

By making “small changes to our behaviour,” around four million households in Austria are being urged to help save energy. The minister added that although there are other ways to reduce gas reliance, by increasing the development of renewable energy and a “transformation of industry,” there is still a need for caution.

The new campaign features behavioural changes such as reducing the heating by two degrees, switching off devices and taking a shower rather than a bath, covering the areas of electricity, heat, mobility and hot water, Euractiv reports.

To endure the winter season, gas storage tanks are being filled and Gewessler added that “ideally” the upcoming winter “won’t be much different than other winters.”

Austria’s Labour Minister, Martin Kocher said these recommendations were a case of raising awareness, whilst Energy Industry Secretary General, Barbara Schmidt said “these simple tips should be kept in mind.”

However, according to the liberal NEOS opposition party’s energy spokeswoman, this campaign arrives “months too late.” She added that the government is also “working against the campaign with its falsely constructed electricity price cap because it is not encouraging the majority of households to save energy.”

Nevertheless, the energy saving campaign has been hailed as an initial step in the right direction by environmental organisations Greenpeace and WWF. Yet further measures, such as the implementation of an energy efficiency law are also required.