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I prefer the price signaling than hard prohibition. In this case the utility company might charge a lot for what they consider unreasonable consumption, and tha

I prefer the price signaling than hard prohibition. In this case the utility company might charge a lot for what they consider unreasonable consumption, and that should spark "voluntary" savings. We have this where I live for water: under 10 m3 per person monthly is very cheap. The 11th m3 could cost more than bottle water. Technically you can consume as much as you can afford, but almost nobody is watering the grass with potable water.

lumost 4y ago
We may need a middle ground on energy soon. If european prices continue rising, energy costs will be higher than rent. Sure people will cut back, but I need heating, and lighting. Rationing will be necessary to preserve basic consumption ahead of conspicuous consumption by wealthy interests.
- butlerm 4y ago
  European conditions aren't normal though - given adequate time new sources will be brought online and a new normal will be established. The prices can't and won't stay as high as they are projected to be under crisis conditions, new supply is less expensive than that.
  - Scoundreller 4y ago
    > given adequate time new sources will be brought online Or in the French condition: existing sources will be brought back online https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/edf-restart-all-its-nuclear-reactors-by-this-winter-minister-says-2022-09-02/ https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/edf-restart-all-its-...
_fat_santa 4y ago
The problem with that is people don't monitor their usage. I'm sure some do but most I know just use power willy nilly and pay the bill at the end of the month. Doing this will result in alot of pissed off customers when they see a 5X increase in their bill.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- otherme123 4y ago
  All my work colleages bought at least one of (this)[https://www.amazon.es/dp/B07B6RYQXC https://www.amazon.es/dp/B07B6RYQXC] this year. From having a thermo and let it start and stop when it needed to, to track the cheapest hours of the day and let it run only for 90 minutes or so. Some of them installed a pellet stove advancing a winter with gas/electricity too expensive. Some installed a solar thermal collector (following my advise, I must say). Sadly, I couldn't convince anyone of installing PV. I don't like prices going up, but I don't remember seeing any other way of pushing consumer restrictions as effective as prices. When something is scarce, its price must go up, and people start to ration or look for substitutes. Even government prohibitions/rationing tend to cause grey or black markets instead of consumption reduction.
sp332 4y ago
"Price signaling" just prices poor people out of the market. Then they go into debt to pay the electric bill or suffer physically from the heat.

lumost 4y ago

We may need a middle ground on energy soon. If european prices continue rising, energy costs will be higher than rent. Sure people will cut back, but I need heating, and lighting. Rationing will be necessary to preserve basic consumption ahead of conspicuous consumption by wealthy interests.

butlerm 4y ago
European conditions aren't normal though - given adequate time new sources will be brought online and a new normal will be established. The prices can't and won't stay as high as they are projected to be under crisis conditions, new supply is less expensive than that.
- Scoundreller 4y ago
  > given adequate time new sources will be brought online Or in the French condition: existing sources will be brought back online https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/edf-restart-all-its-nuclear-reactors-by-this-winter-minister-says-2022-09-02/ https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/edf-restart-all-its-...

_fat_santa 4y ago

The problem with that is people don't monitor their usage. I'm sure some do but most I know just use power willy nilly and pay the bill at the end of the month. Doing this will result in alot of pissed off customers when they see a 5X increase in their bill.

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
otherme123 4y ago
All my work colleages bought at least one of (this)[https://www.amazon.es/dp/B07B6RYQXC https://www.amazon.es/dp/B07B6RYQXC] this year. From having a thermo and let it start and stop when it needed to, to track the cheapest hours of the day and let it run only for 90 minutes or so. Some of them installed a pellet stove advancing a winter with gas/electricity too expensive. Some installed a solar thermal collector (following my advise, I must say). Sadly, I couldn't convince anyone of installing PV. I don't like prices going up, but I don't remember seeing any other way of pushing consumer restrictions as effective as prices. When something is scarce, its price must go up, and people start to ration or look for substitutes. Even government prohibitions/rationing tend to cause grey or black markets instead of consumption reduction.

sp332 4y ago

"Price signaling" just prices poor people out of the market. Then they go into debt to pay the electric bill or suffer physically from the heat.