ᐅ Gas Prices – Where Is Gas Still Affordable?

Snowy36 schrieb:

Unless you are willing to simply give up the current standard of living that previous generations worked hard to achieve.

Then consider the risks and dangers, among other things, that we (myself included) have simply refused to acknowledge while “earning” this standard of living. I’m currently feeling more regret that I didn’t take many of the steps I am now taking at least 10 years ago. This starts with managing indoor temperatures, installing photovoltaic systems (as a tenant, only a balcony power system is possible), much stricter recycling, energy-efficient lighting, and so on.

In my opinion, we have become complacent because everything was going so well, and often we have ignored common sense. This has been compounded by external factors such as the COVID pandemic, disrupted supply chains over the past two years, now the war in Ukraine, and increasingly noticeable effects of climate change all hitting us at once. We have much to take responsibility for ourselves and should all start by cleaning up our own doorstep before mindlessly blaming “THEM.”

kbt09 schrieb:

Then just think about the risks, dangers, and so on that we (myself included) simply didn’t want to acknowledge, but through which we have “earned” this prosperity. Right now, I’m mostly blaming myself for not having taken many of the measures I’m taking now, 10 years ago. This starts with indoor temperatures, installing photovoltaic systems (as a tenant, just a balcony power plant), even more consistent recycling, energy-saving lighting, and so on.

In my opinion, we have become complacent because everything was going so well, and we often switched off our common sense. This is now reinforced by external factors like COVID-19, disrupted supply chains for the past two years, and now the war in Ukraine, along with the increasingly noticeable effects of climate change—all hitting us at once. We have a lot to take responsibility for ourselves, and we should all start by cleaning up our own doorstep before pointlessly blaming “THEM.”

I have always done all of this consistently; my parents raised me that way. Leaving lights on or standby mode simply didn’t happen in our home. Of course, there’s always more that can be done.

I’m all for preserving the hard-earned prosperity for future generations. Yet surprisingly, it feels like we’re burning through everything that was built up over decades in just about half a year. And I don’t understand how anyone can just stand by and think this is okay.

My grandmother told me at 87 years old that she never wants to be cold again and got herself a radiator. It’s just madness, all of it.

I also don’t think politicians belong on TikTok. I can’t just behave however I want in my free time either. And whenever I hear Mrs. Fester speak, I always think she has never really had to do proper work. She can talk all she wants about abolishing cars and so on—but not with me.

Snowy36 schrieb:

I have always done that consistently.

Didn't you just recently post that during absences you have standby power consumption of 10kWh or more per day and that it’s too much effort for you to turn off the power strip for the TV?

Snowy36 schrieb:

I have always been consistent about that; my parents raised me that way. Leaving lights on or standby mode was not an option for us. Of course, there’s always room for improvement.

Snowy36 schrieb:

They were all on standby.
2 laptops each with a screen.
3 TVs.
Fully automatic coffee machine.
Xbox.
Wi-Fi printer.

I assume that an OLED 65-inch (165 cm) TV uses quite a bit of power in standby... but I didn’t want to measure each device individually or anything like that. I’ve now made it possible to completely turn off every device and reduce power consumption that way.

That’s outrageous. Back in the day, you would have gotten a slap for that. But at least now we know how to interpret your comments.

Snowy36 schrieb:

I fully support preserving the hard-earned prosperity for the generations after us. But right now, it somehow feels like we’re burning through everything that took decades to build in just half a year.

That feeling is misleading.
Even decades ago, people in Germany were already doing very well. Without asparagus and strawberries in winter, without flown-in mangoes, without SUVs, and so on—the list could go on.

The prosperity created since then includes:

a) social progress (medical treatments, rights to participation and care, minimum wage, environmental protection, etc.)

b) an almost ridiculous expansion of consumption, as mentioned above.

Crises like the current one force cutbacks mostly in category b).
This hits poorer people much harder than most participants here in the HOUSE BUILDING (!) forum.

If cutbacks affected category a), THEN you would have a point.

People like Snowdy are my favorites… You might as well throw those posts straight into the trash.