Why does Europe per capita use 35% of the energie then the USA?

Question

Europe has per capita a similar quality of life as the USA, contrary to people, who believe, its still in the stone age.

I live in a nice house in the US. New. The air conditioner is on the south side, hot water pipes are not insulated and there is no ventilationcap on the roof. To change that, it would have all increased the house price by $28. I am just confused.

Answer 1

I think the 35% number is too low but it is true that Europran countries use less energy per capita than the US. http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/ene_usa_per_per-energy-usage-per-person
Two big factors are climate and population density as well as life style. As can be seen in the above table countries that are very cold or very hot have higher energy usage. Countries with low population density use more energy not just for transportation but because of the energy losses in electricity grids (average of 27%). Also people living in high density areas occupy smaller homes. The higher energy cost in Europe make people conserve more but equal cost here would not decrease our energy consumption to European levels.

Answer 2

I suspect it's a combination of it being smaller and denser than the US (just a guess) and their awesome public transit system. Here, public transit is mostly limited to within cities and most people don't use it because it:
a) Will not get them where they are going,
b) Makes them lose some control over when they are coming or going, and
c) Makes it harder for them to carry stuff with them.

Places here are just relatively far apart. This is all guesswork though . . . I don't have any sources for you.

Oh yeah, and as that other answerer said, air conditioning is a necessity for normal life in some regions in the US. Like where I live. It regularly gets above 32 C (90 F) here. And there are places here that get significantly hotter than that. Have a nice day!

Answer 3

We go to school & we get taught about this country that country, based on what's in some text books, that probably have content a few decades old. Then we leave school & go out into the world of a career. What we know about any given country is what we learned in school, see in news media, internet, have occasion to look up.

Mass ignorance is the normal human condition, not being well informed about our world.

In Europe, the mass public probably believes that Western USA is heavily populated by cowboys driving cattle herds overland, fighting indians ... because after all, Hollywood is 90% historical conflicts and contemporary fiction ... that's what other people around the world get to see about America.

Major reasons the terrorists are out to kill us right now
* THEIR schools teach what the west did hundreds of years ago
* Hollywood portrays us as a bunch of moral degenerates
Many years ago, the news media was in the business of educating the voters. Now it is in the entertainment business, paid for by advertisers.

TV is all about sound bytes, nothing about substance.

This means that instead of having experts in foreign nations who make an effort to educate readers & TV watchers about world geography, the media sends flying squads of reporters to whatever the latest hot spot is to let us know what is happening right now, with no explanation as to how things got to that state of affiairs and no followup regarding whether any proposed solutions turn out Ok.

We only hear when there are problems, not about any solutions.

As to energy efficiency, the US transportation economy "grew up" at a time when energy was cheap, so various infrastructure design decisions were made that now that energy is getting much more expensive, has very serious impact for our social and economic trade-offs.

A comparison to Y2K may be in order.
Computer infrastructure design was one way when hardware was astronomically expensive and laborers very cheap. As the financial reality reversed, there should have been some design changes, but they got postponed, leading to the Y2K crisis.

Well we are on a stampede towards a similar crisis now with our costs of energy, in which there are plenty of warning signs that there is a Y2K like disaster ahead with respect to how we manage our energy resources, but we will probably have to suffer a lot before collectively we get realistic about this.

After all, our education is rooted in sound bytes and ancient history, not in evaluating trends, and simulating possible alternative futures. Unless you read quality science fiction.

Answer 4

The answer to your question is associated with the high cost of energy consumption in Europe, cultural differences, and legislation.

First, 'energy' costs at the point-of-use (where one would see it on one's electric bill, or at the pump) can run the European consumer considerably more than their American counterpart. Larger vehicles also cost considerably more to register, increasing the incentive to own smaller and more fuel-efficient vehicles. These factor heavily influence behaviors that maximize for efficiency and conversation.

Then, there is a cultural bias (due to tradition as well as such factors as existing infrastructure and population densities) that encourages the use of public transportation, as well as smaller vehicles (which are much easier to maneuver and park).

Finally, there is a great deal of legislation in Europe that encourages efficient use of resources--from mandatory recycling to vehicular regulations (such as the requirement to turn your motor off if your vehicle is in traffic for more than a few seconds). Also, vehicles are required to be inspected before registration which tends to assure that they are in good repair and even that their tires are in good condition and properly inflated (which has a significant impact on fuel efficiency).

It would be nice if Americans could use less energy, but to a certain degree the nature of our infrastructure works against it--unless there is huge investment in that infrastructure. Major change never occurs without significant discomfort, which means there will have to be a considerable increase in the cost of energy consumption before that happens.

Answer 5

Much of Europe was built before electricity and motorized vehicles. Many cities in Europe are not conducive to having vehicles and in the US you can expect 2+ per household. Gasoline is much more expensive in places like London, so again another reason to not have a car. These reasons do not account for all of the difference, but it is a start.

p.s. Energy

Answer 6

Most of the "quality of life" metrics you see quoted in the popular press reflect a significant weighting on the time worked, not purely the standard of living (with which I agree). This leads to less commuting. Additionally, with significant petrol taxes (it's abut $5.50/gallon, compared to $3 in the states) and a higher population density, mass transity is far more appealing, and used. If you compare the energy conusumtion with an isolated metro are, like Manhattan, they are about par.

Answer 7

hmm dunno where you get that figures from
but maybe it's about air-conditioning !

not AC alone but anyway, no kidding, the use of air-conditioning is less spread in Europe (i mean for individuals, not companies)... well of course Europe doesn't have any desert, contrary to the USA

:-)