P: Good morning, Economist.
E: Good morning, Photographer.
P: Summer is back in Germany. I love it.
E: Me too.
P: I had already thought about turning on the heating.
E: Speaking of heating. I've wanted to show you this chart for a while. It shows the total energy consumption in Germany. As you can see, consumption has remained constant over the past three decades. Also in the households sector, shown in dark blue in the chart.
P: Aren't houses much better insulated today than they used to be, so shouldn't energy consumption be reduced?
E: Energy consumption per square meter has fallen indeed, but more space is heated than in the past. We live on a larger scale, so to speak.
P: Our prosperity has increased.
E: Exactly. So-called energy productivity has improved in many areas, but on the other hand, we can afford more. Overall, nothing has changed in terms of energy consumption. For example our cars. Engines have become increasingly efficient, but cars have also become heavier. People want more space and more security. As a result, energy consumption per 100 kilometres has hardly changed.
< silence >
P: I've also gotten a bit heavier over the past decades.
E: Maybe you should extend your walks.
P: Maybe. Have a nice day, Economist.
E: Have a nice day, Photographer.
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Why do Strolling Economist and Accidental Photographer take daily walks? Check out here for more. β By the way, sometimes they go their own ways, the economist here, the photographer there.