[Swizec]

> People will happily trade off more energy consumption for personal convenience

This must be why European cars are generally smaller than American cars. It has nothing to do with the lack of tax breaks on large vehicles, historically higher gas prices, and notoriously smaller parking spots. Nothing at all. Europeans just like smaller cars, right?

And let’s not get into why half of Asia seems to ride around on tiny little 50cc vespas/scooters. I’m sure that’s just more comfortable there what with all the extremely hot weather and monsoon rains.

[TeMPOraL]

Most people in Europe are money-bound, not energy-bound, when choosing what car to buy.

[Swizec]

You use money to buy energy. Wouldn't matter that you're money-bound if gas was free. With gas (energy) not being free, people are voting with their wallet to say they would rather spend their limited funds on things other than energy.

For example: Going bonkers crazy on insulation is a common thing to do in Europe. We had TV ads for triple-pane windows back in the 1990s in a country (Slovenia) where re-doing your windows costs an annual wage or more. Because over N years it comes out cheaper than paying for energy.

Energy is so cheap in USA, at least in CA where I am, that even in 2024 seeing double-pane windows on a house is rare. Let alone triple or quadruple pane, which have become the norm back home.

[pfdietz]

The US houses I've lived in for the last 30 years have had double paned windows.

In 2017, 59% of homes in the US had double paned windows.

https://dwmmag.com/survey-multi-pane-windows-now-on-59-perce...