U.S. has fewer cars per person than Europe, but still uses twice as much energy

[cawimmer430]

Pfft. I did 215km/h.   

(j/k, was a rental Van- only filled up once but averaged about 140km/h)

Well my winter tires are limited to 210 km/h.

[cawimmer430]

Tell that to the Spanish. Don't they still take afternoon siestas because of the heat?

Don't ask me, ask them why they don't buy A/Cs in huge numbers. They number one reason they'll probably give you is that it's to expensive.

[mzziaz]

Tell that to the Spanish. Don't they still take afternoon siestas because of the heat?

They do in the southern part of the country, but not because of the heat anymore. A/C is all over the place.

[Northlands]

They do in the southern part of the country, but not because of the heat anymore. A/C is all over the place.

You'd figure in a country that warm... I guess they just take really long lunches? 

[Northlands]

Don't ask me, ask them why they don't buy A/Cs in huge numbers. They number one reason they'll probably give you is that it's to expensive.

You can get a window A/C unit for about $100 dollars. 

[mzziaz]

You'd figure in a country that warm... I guess they just take really long lunches? 

Yup!

It is slowly disappearing though.

[AutobahnSHO]

You can get a window A/C unit for about $100 dollars. 

Those suck a LOT of electricity.

Larger A/C units produce more cooling for the power $$ spent. But then you have to build the house for the A/C.

[Northlands]

Those suck a LOT of electricity.

Larger A/C units produce more cooling for the power $$ spent. But then you have to build the house for the A/C.

Oh I am aware. Just for use when one is desperate and is willing to sit next to it to escape 100+ degree heat!  I'm guessing there's still a lot of homes that use rad heat in Europe that would require a ton of ducting to be made for central air. That's expensive of course.

[GoCougs]

One can add central AC into a house after the fact though. If the house already has central heat central AC is usually an add-on to the existing system. If there is no central heat it can be added after the fact (had that done to my house, but no AC as it would have about doubled the cost).

I have two large window mounted units located at either end of the house; they'll keep my unshaded house at ~72F on the hottest of days (like the last few days of ~95F). I will have to turn them on in the morning though; if the house really heats up they'll not be able to cool it down to 72F.

[Galaxy]

  I'm guessing there's still a lot of homes that use rad heat in Europe that would require a ton of ducting to be made for central air. That's expensive of course.

99% of new homes in Germany use rad heat, though usually they do not have radiators anymore they just run water through the floor and/or walls.

[cawimmer430]

You can get a window A/C unit for about $100 dollars. 

Problem is that most homes here are built without the foreseeable future use of an A/C. Installing a proper A/C means breaking down a wall somewhere to install the thing.

And as Will said, a small A/C sucks a lot of electricity and a big proper one just isn't worth it. Most Germans think this way: A/C for summer = 2-3 months max out of 12 months in a year. It's just not worth the extra costs. 

[TurboDan]

Don't ask me, ask them why they don't buy A/Cs in huge numbers. They number one reason they'll probably give you is that it's to expensive.

How much are European electric bills, though? I can speak for two of the homes my family owns ? one has central A/C and one does not, but has one very large window unit downstairs and then four smaller window units (one in each bedroom). In both houses, the electric bill (with A/C on generally all the time) comes to about $300 each.

Does the government throw high taxes/surcharges onto electric bills there?

[TurboDan]

On another note, was behind this guy on the road today. Snapped a pic as he turned. Best license plate ever...

[sportyaccordy]

You can get a window A/C unit for about $100 dollars. 

You have to pay to run it

[Northlands]

You have to pay to run it

Right. I ... thought that was already implied.

[AutobahnSHO]

How much are European electric bills, though?

Power bills are crazy expensive in Europe- even though I believe a LOT of Germany and France runs on nukyular.

(But they're also planning to phase those powerplants out in the next 10-30years!  All the enviro wackjob nuts. )

[cawimmer430]

How much are European electric bills, though? I can speak for two of the homes my family owns ? one has central A/C and one does not, but has one very large window unit downstairs and then four smaller window units (one in each bedroom). In both houses, the electric bill (with A/C on generally all the time) comes to about $300 each.

I average 35-45 Euros a month in electricity bills. Sometimes a bit more, especially if I have my computer running all day rendering pictures. But on average I pay under 50 Euros a month.

In the winters I pay a bit more because I have a small heater (the opposite of an A/C) that I run for half an hour in my room before turning it off. I don't use my standard heater because my apartment is sandwiched left and right and top and bottom by other apartments who use their heaters in the winters - so I get some of their excess heat. 

Does the government throw high taxes/surcharges onto electric bills there?

No, but there are a lot of energy companies which compete with one another, thus electricity prices are quite fair and acceptable here.

[Onslaught]

I drove 4 1/2 hours to my parents beach house to find the A/C was out and could not be fixed until next week. It was over 100 in the house. I got back in the RX-8 and drove home. I helped use up our nations gas (and oil) because this southerner will not sit around in the heat all day with no A/C. I don't live in a 3rd world country.

[Soup DeVille]

I'd happily show you around my parts

Be careful with that: I've been known to take people up on their offers of hospitality.

[AutobahnSHO]

I average 35-45 Euros a month in electricity bills. Sometimes a bit more, especially if I have my computer running all day rendering pictures. But on average I pay under 50 Euros a month.

In the winters I pay a bit more because I have a small heater (the opposite of an A/C) that I run for half an hour in my room before turning it off. I don't use my standard heater because my apartment is sandwiched left and right and top and bottom by other apartments who use their heaters in the winters - so I get some of their excess heat. 

How big is your apartment??

My house is ~2,000 square feet. Four walls and a roof steal my A/C and heat money$.

[Soup DeVille]

Tell that to the Spanish. Don't they still take afternoon siestas because of the heat?

I think the Spanish still take siestas because they're Spaniards.

[TurboDan]

So it doesn't seem like there's a huge disincentive tax-wise against the window A/C units. I can understand not wanting to deal with the expense of running the duct work through an old building. Depending on the year a home was built, there are also asbestos issues. That's why we never converted that second house over the central A/C. The expense of the asbestos remediation would've been outrageous.

[Northlands]

I think the Spanish still take siestas because they're Spaniards.

[S204STi]

I can never understand why you guys live 60+ miles away from your workplace instead of moving closer which would mean less driving, fuel costs and more relaxed lifestyle.

Have you looked at a fucking map of this place?  IT'S HUGE, SON.

[Northlands]

Have you looked at a fucking map of this place?  IT'S HUGE, SON.

[GoCougs]

Problem is that most homes here are built without the foreseeable future use of an A/C. Installing a proper A/C means breaking down a wall somewhere to install the thing.

And as Will said, a small A/C sucks a lot of electricity and a big proper one just isn't worth it. Most Germans think this way: A/C for summer = 2-3 months max out of 12 months in a year. It's just not worth the extra costs. 

And that extra cost, like pretty much everything else in Europe, is catastrophically high. If central AC cost in Germany what it does in the US, plenty more Germans would have central AC.

[hotrodalex]

Have you looked at a fucking map of this place?  IT'S HUGE, SON.

Looking at a 6 drive through just one state tomorrow... (Kansas)

[Madman]

I've been over the pond during mid-summer and it was never hot or humid enough for A/C.  I can understand why Europeans don't bother.  Why have it if you don't need it?

[SVT666]

Looking at a 6 drive through just one state tomorrow... (Kansas)

4 hours gets me halfway across BC.  24 hours of driving gets me all the way to the northern border of the province.  Then there is still the Yukon Territories in my way before getting to the Arctic Ocean and it's just as big as BC.  7 days of solid 12 hours a day of driving will get you clear across Canada.

[VTEC_Inside]

Re: Window vs Central power consumption.

Before I put central air in here we ran a single window unit upstairs.

After the switch to central it blew me away that it cost less in electricity to cool the whole house than it did to cool 1 maybe 1.5 rooms.