alt.energy.renewable

Eeyore wrote:

> Erdemal wrote:
>
>> Eeyore wrote:
>>> RadicalModerate wrote:
>>>> Eeyore wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> To be fair, Americans could 'give up' a heck of a lot by being more energy
>>>>> efficient and less wasteful all round and it wouldn't degrade their lifestyle
>>>>> one jot.
>>>> So what exactly do you think us Americans should be giving up that won't
>>>> degrade our lifestyles "one jot"?
>>>>
>>>> Sure, one person commuting to work in a V-8 powered SUV or pickup truck is
>>>> an example of conspicuous consumption.
>>> Precisely and changing just that would make a big difference.
>> Are you the one that wrote many times that all electric cars look
>> like 'clown cars' ?
>
> Just about all of them do, it's true.

Yes they do ! You would loose all credibility using one of them
more than one day. There is something like 'the minimum' MAN
car, that a social rule established by car manufacturers ads.

>> For americans our little cars are 'clown cars'.
>> It's just about the size of the ego. There are less SUVs in Europe
>> because we dont have $3/gallon gasoline, because it impossible
>> to park them in our usual parkings or tiny garages and because
>> our ego has been tuned down 'culturally' to make us more
>> 'plastic'.
>
> I think we're just naturally more modest people actually and don't feel the need for
> the most part to boost our egos by purchasing super large vehicles.

A much bigger ego is possible and exists : private jets, castles,
country size second residences, megaboats, ... Compared to that
SUVs are modest cars for reasonable people.

> Practical limitations like the size of our roads (which may be up to 2000 yrs old or
> so in some places) also influence our choices.
>
>
>>>> Do keep in mind a big difference between Britain and the USA - land mass
>>>> and the distances between places.
>>>>
>>>> Should the average American be forced to live in a crowded, dirty, noisy,
>>>> crime-ridden city and depend on public transportation for mobility?
>>> I don't understand why you think that's the only alternative.
>>>
>>>
>>>> Should the "average American" be expected to give up home and
>>>> workplace cooling in the summertime at work and home?
>>> Absolutely not. Better insulation would reduce the requirement though.
>> What thickness ? 5/10/20/25 cm ?
>
> Around 20-25cm is the typical recommended insulation thickness in the UK now.
>
>
>> The saving would at best be
>> 1000-1500$/year for an average home. Why bother ?
>
> Are you suggesting a saving isn't worth it ? This is precisely the profligate
> attitude that's apparently so common in the USA. Insulation doesn't 'wear out'. How
> about calculating the saving over 10, 20 or 30 years ?

In a new home it's easy but in an existing home it's somewhat harder.

>>>> Should the "average American" be expected to make do with whatever
>>>> fresh fruits and vegetables are "in season" where they live?
>>> An interesting question. Plenty of stuff freezes just fine. Importing
>> > green beans on jetliners strikes me as being pretty extravagant though.
>>
>> If the energy was solar or green would you accept this.
>
> Jetliners don't run on solar energy.

No ? Solar energy can be transformed in nearly any
hydrocabon or hydrogen at reasonable yield ... you know that :)

>>>> . What's the speed limit on the Motorways - 60 mph (100 km/hr) ?
>>> 70 in the UK actually.
>>>
>>> Why do you think that's especially important ?
>> Did you convert to 'ecologism' Eeyeore ?
>
> No. I just abhor deliberate wastefulness.

Even waste of time :)

Erdy