In a comment on my blog "...sunshine, freedom and a little flower" Pipistrello from "Flying With Hands" asked:
I was talking to a young German girl from my dancing class, from Cologne. She told me this winter schools and universities will remain online in her area as they expect not to be able to afford to heat the classrooms to the required 17 degrees to keep all the technology running smoothly. Is this likely to be true?
Part of my answer: "Since September we have an official enactment for public buildings to put temperature down to 18°C degrees when people sit - when they walk: 17 °C (hahahaha). No warm water in public buildings to wash your hands (except in hospitals, schools, or homes for the elderly). "
So, universities keep open, schools too. But today in the news I heard complaints of a local sport club (and they are not the only ones) which cannot pay the enormous sums that are demanded now for energy.
Same problem for e.g. bakeries, gastronomy - and people with a small income too.
A lot of work was not done in the last decades - profits were taken, but not much invested - the state of bridges, of railways, roads often is deplorable.
I do hope that we learn by that - though I am not so optimistic - seeing the news today I wondered if people ever learn.
PS: To get the whole picture not too gloomy - we still are a very rich country and pay a lot to help others - I will tell you a story of my past, long ago - I have forgotten which year it was, but English people will know. I was on my way to England, and shortly before I heard of a heavy power cut in England.
One trait of me is that I often believe to quick. So I packed many candles into my suitcase - and my English friends still tease me: "Ah - candles for England!"
If my children were going to school in winter, I would certainly ensure they wore a thick jumper and woolly socks. 18c is quite balmy in many countries.
ReplyDeleteI would shiver too, Helen - and am glad that I no longer have to be in my very big office in Hamburg (a room of my own - more than 30 square metres...)
DeleteLots of changes toward energy conservation will be hard for many. That said, we have no choice. Wearing layers of warm clothing and using winter duvets on all the beds will be important. I've always got a good supply of candles for good times and not so good times. You can't go wrong being prepared.
ReplyDeleteI had the brilliant idea to buy a (posh!) heating duvet which is so nice in the morning when I sit at the panorama window with my breakfast - snuggle into the warmth, no central heating necessary.
DeleteSame procedure in the evening: nice if you sit and watch TV or read. Of course I do have warm clothes and wonderful sheep fur (??)-indoor slippers - they were necessary even before, because the neighbour under my flat very seldom has his heating on...
I had to keep my thermostat way low in the 60's, when fuel was so dear.
ReplyDeleteYeah - I am not against being parsimonious with energy - though I get really angry when I see what our politicians recommend to us ("Short showers!") - and then celebrate their pompous wedding on the German island Sylt with at least 140 guests. They can do as they please, of course - but then they should not preach others water.
DeleteI love that you brought candles for England, you have a kind heart. Winter sounds like it will be difficult in Europe when the weather is cold. Under Trump we here in the USA were energy independent but the current administration ended that which means tough times ahead here too.
ReplyDeleteYes, Terra, winter - if it is a cold one - will be difficult for people who do not earn much money (though they work hard), for the industry and for the craft businesses - for all economy.
DeleteSimilar situations exist all around the world currently. The cut backs being made in Germany sound sensible to me. I really feel for people who need to use lots of power - the bakers, hotels, restaurants, manufacturers etc.
ReplyDeleteI am using my slow cooker, the microwave, and a economical small cooker known as a Remoska more and more. The big oven is mainly off.
Dear Rosemary even before the energy emergency I used what I need economical - and this is one of the few advantages of the crisis: that people can no longer afford to throw away food, don't care whether the heating is on a much too high temperature etc.
DeleteBut as you say: a lot will suffer.
I am interested: did they forbid Bitcoin too - I am not well informed about that but read that it uses masses of energy.
As Rosemary says, it is the same everywhere. We are currently helped by having continuous mild weather. I don't know which power cut you were thinking of in England as the only one of significance that I can remember was in the 1970s when we had miners strikes. Mobile phones are now very helpful with giving light and it is wise to keep them fully charged.
ReplyDeleteDear Rachel - yes, the first (though not the second!) was in the spam. Grrr.
DeleteWe have wonderful mellow sunshine here too. And yes: the power cut was in my time as a very young student - maybe end of the Sixties?
Mobile phones, internet, by the way: they use a lot of energy...
:-)
I would only use sparingly if I needed to walk from one room to another in darkness!
DeleteI enjoyed the old power cuts for the peace and quiet.
ReplyDeletePeace and quiet, Tom, we might have soon more than we want. A high CEO of Audi suggested now car-free weekends - I remember the one we had, long, long ago, with glee.
DeleteI left a comment that appears to have gone into Spam.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is not necessary to put trillions of light on prominent buildings at night - only as one example - but if you have to sit at school for at least six hours a day I think 18 degrees are not very generous... as they have to sit still, not being allowed to move...
DeleteMy comment that went into spam does not fit this reply Britta. Some confusion for me here.
DeleteAh, I see you released it higher up. Perhaps this comment here is more general. I agree that sitting in low temperatures all day is not pleasant.
DeleteYes, I am sorry Rachel: as I see now it is highly confusing, the set-up of my answers is totally muddled - I apologise, and am glad you worked it out!
DeleteI cannot say I miss the winters of my childhood. We slept upstairs (no heat). In the morning we would grab our clothes and run down to change in front of the heating stove. Our bedroom windows were covered in ice. I like a nice warm room now but I know I could survive without it.
ReplyDeleteDear Mimmylynn, thank you! I too see window panes with ice-flowers before my eye - but I think that over night the oil-stoves were still on, on a low burning flame.
DeleteWhat you write is exactly what I think: it was not a good experience what you describe - though my circumstances were a bit more comfortable, a lot in that time was not rosy - my parents had, as the Beatles sing: to "scrimp and save".
I have learned husbandry and to "make a lot out of nothing" (at this point the latest of young people in the room will have left it :-) - and yes: "I like a nice warm room now but I know I could survive without it" - and if I may add: survive without, very a lot of other things. Though I hope very much that I /we don't have to.
"without a lot of other things"
DeleteCandles for everywhere would be a nice idea - just one or two nights a week would make a decent contribution, I propose.
ReplyDeleteRecently, there is (was?) a movement here called Earth Hour whereby the buildings in the city centre switched off for an hour one night of the year ... and the big noises in the city congratulated one another on making a statement about electricity waste and whatnot, when it seemed so bleeding obvious that Every Night would be a much grander and effective mandate. But no! Small gestures are only allowed. The mostly vacant skyscrapers are still ablaze and fit to be seen from space. Why? No idea but I suspect it's to give off an International City feel, which is a phrase our Lord Mayor is obsessed with.
Dear Pip, maybe the coming season here (autumn and winter) will light many candles - cozy, contemplative, in one word: "Hygge".
ReplyDelete(And German journalists, digging deep for advices, have discovered the "tea light oven" - honestly: that is hilarious! )
Here in Bavaria almost everyone owns a little wood, and so in the morning, when I open the door of my balcony, I see white trails of smoke, and the smell is a mixed pleasure.
I agree to switching off a lot of lights in a city!
Of course do I want safe illuminated streets - but blazing lights from a huge store we do not need. In my next post I will show what the new enactment says - it says a lot, they to not save words. :-)
Your Mayor could learn from one of the predecessors of mayors of Berlin, Klaus Wowereit, who called Berlin "poor but sexy". (Now that isn't true any more - Berlin has money now).
At the moment we have a very sunny and warm October.
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