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Electricity is currently very expensive in Europe, and in many countries electricity comes from burning coal. So a device where clothes can dry without using el

by cpach 5y ago

Electricity is currently very expensive in Europe, and in many countries electricity comes from burning coal. So a device where clothes can dry without using electricity makes a lot of sense to me. In December, many households in Sweden had electricity bills of 10000-15000 SEK, or more (~$1100-1600 or ~€900-1400).

bequanna 5y ago
I’m not familiar with this, but it smells like a supply crisis caused by over regulation. Instead of trying to lower demand the focus should be on increasing supply and lowering prices.
cpursley 5y ago
Okay, wow. In Eastern Europe it's pretty cheap compared to that (actually, the number you gave is higher than many peoples salaries here). I think I'd be using a rack in your case as well.
- cpach 5y ago
  Many homes here warm the house only using electrical radiators. And it can get very cold in the winter. Not exactly the smartest way to heat a house, still widely used here.
  - voisin 5y ago
    Given the cost, it seems like there would be a big opportunity to install geothermal to bring that cost down. The payback would be quick with electricity costs like that.
    - cpach 5y ago
      Indeed! And many households install such systems. There can still be obstacles though. Quite a few houses here lack a distribution system for the radiators. Those radiators are directly connected to the electricity system. I.e. the house lacks a water-based heat circulation system (or similar). One could retrofit such a system, but then it’s about double the cost compared to only installing the geothermal pump. The background to this situation is partly that in the 70s, the government required houses to be built this way. Electricity was cheap back then, we had lots of nuclear and water-power and wanted to get away from oil. Another thing to keep in mind that even a geothermal system requires some electricity to run – and they are not terribly effective when the weather is very cold outside.

by cpach 5y ago

bequanna 5y ago

I’m not familiar with this, but it smells like a supply crisis caused by over regulation. Instead of trying to lower demand the focus should be on increasing supply and lowering prices.

cpursley 5y ago

Okay, wow. In Eastern Europe it's pretty cheap compared to that (actually, the number you gave is higher than many peoples salaries here). I think I'd be using a rack in your case as well.

cpach 5y ago
Many homes here warm the house only using electrical radiators. And it can get very cold in the winter. Not exactly the smartest way to heat a house, still widely used here.
- voisin 5y ago
  Given the cost, it seems like there would be a big opportunity to install geothermal to bring that cost down. The payback would be quick with electricity costs like that.
  - cpach 5y ago
    Indeed! And many households install such systems. There can still be obstacles though. Quite a few houses here lack a distribution system for the radiators. Those radiators are directly connected to the electricity system. I.e. the house lacks a water-based heat circulation system (or similar). One could retrofit such a system, but then it’s about double the cost compared to only installing the geothermal pump. The background to this situation is partly that in the 70s, the government required houses to be built this way. Electricity was cheap back then, we had lots of nuclear and water-power and wanted to get away from oil. Another thing to keep in mind that even a geothermal system requires some electricity to run – and they are not terribly effective when the weather is very cold outside.