In response to the current pressure on Hungary’s electricity system, AmCham Hungary’s Board of Directors has called on its member companies to consider voluntary measures to temporarily reduce or reschedule their electricity consumption, particularly, during peak demand periods.
In our call to members, we also invited companies to share the measures they had already introduced. The responses demonstrated that businesses across different sectors are actively reviewing their operations and implementing responsible solutions.
AmCham is also taking steps to reduce our own electricity consumption: Our team is working from home, and air conditioning is not being used in the office during this period.
How Our Members Are Responding
Several member companies have expanded home office arrangements to reduce office occupancy and overall energy consumption. Some have temporarily closed parts of their offices and consolidated employees into smaller areas. Others have kept limited office access available for colleagues who need to work on-site or do not have suitable working conditions at home.
Companies have also reduced cooling capacity and increased indoor temperature settings. Further measures include switching off air conditioning outside working hours, limiting non-essential lighting, and suspending the use of electric vehicle chargers, meeting room displays, printers and kitchen appliances where possible. Flexible desk booking has also been introduced in some offices to ensure that active workspace reflects actual occupancy.
Some members have adjusted technical settings to achieve further savings. These measures include raising the temperature in server and communications rooms, reducing ventilation outside working hours and minimizing the charging of electric forklifts during peak periods. One company reported a 5% reduction in electricity consumption between 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.
Manufacturing companies have also reviewed their production schedules. Several have reduced production capacity or rescheduled energy-intensive processes outside peak demand periods. Others have shortened the operating hours of selected equipment, reduced unnecessary idle operation or aligned certain activities with periods of on-site renewable energy generation.
Alongside these energy-saving measures, companies have strengthened their business continuity preparedness. Members have reviewed backup power arrangements, connectivity, local IT services and internal communication procedures. Some have also postponed critical IT changes and other high-risk activities during periods of increased pressure on the electricity network.
Practical Recommendations for Commercial and Industrial Sites
One of our members, Innovinia, which is also a member of the Ingatlanfejlesztői Kerekasztal Egyesület (IFK), Hungary’s Real Estate Developers Roundtable Association, shared the Association’s practical recommendations for commercial, logistics and industrial sites.
The guidance focuses on immediate operational measures that can be introduced without investment. It recommends concentrating non-essential consumption reductions on the critical 5:00–10:00 p.m. period. Suggested measures include consolidating activities into fewer active areas, postponing charging and other energy-intensive tasks, switching off idle equipment and avoiding the simultaneous operation or restart of major systems.
The Association also recommends monitoring consumption closely and identifying which systems can be switched off immediately, reduced in a controlled manner or must remain operational. It stresses that all measures must preserve employee safety, critical operations, product and equipment safety, and the proper functioning of fire protection, security, ventilation, cooling, IT and communication systems.
The examples shared by our members show that temporary and carefully considered measures can make a meaningful collective difference. Supporting the stability of Hungary’s electricity system is a shared national and economic interest.
We thank our members for acting responsibly and for sharing practices that may inspire others across the business community. We are in this together.