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German digital signage ban prompts confusion

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331–340 of 457 posts

Re: German digital signage ban prompts confusion

#331
post #304

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The German Green Party was basically founded on anti-nuclear sentiment. As an American it is not hard to see how these hardened anti-nuclear activists in Germany benefit Russia. It is also not hard to see the close political and historic proximity between the Soviet Union and the Green party. It seems that average Germans do not make that connection. Why?

This is revisionist history and your completely false accusations put it near Russian propaganda territory. I challenge you to find even a single proof for what you wrote. The Greens were the only party calling for embargoes against Russia to stop importing Russian gas all together in 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea. They also opposed Nord Stream 2 from the beginning. They inherited the clusterfuck the conservatives…

Russian propagandists would accuse Russia of secret interference in European politics?

Of course evidence on these matters is going to be hard to find.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jun/19/russia-s...

Re: German digital signage ban prompts confusion

#332
I consider the annoyance of lighted digital signage a good enough reason to turn them off, and the offense of billboards a sufficient reason to ban them as San Paolo has. I say that for context.

The piecemeal approach to energy regulation is arbitrary and unfair. It introduces political friction with no evidence that it reduces emissions.

Why might it not reduce emissions? Because energy which is produced is consumed. Banning a source of consumption causes marginal affordability.

If the goal is to limit atmospheric carbon, which is laudable: tax carbon. Be sure to apply the proceeds generously to decarbonizing industry, because this will be expensive.

If the goal is to allocate electricity which is scarce due to crisis: tax electricity use progressively. Make businesses which aren't manufacturing submit paperwork for an exemption. They'll turn the lights out at night on their own.

Be sure to apply the proceeds to energy security, because no one is going to like what happens if you don't.

Re: German digital signage ban prompts confusion

#333
post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Average power usage for a 1 person household in Germany is 1300 kwh/year (roughly, numbers vary, but not to a degree that it matters). That's about 150W sustained. So 1500W for a large sign, that's like 150 high power LED light bulbs, I guess that checks out. Anything that reduces ads in the public sphere is fine by me.

Not sure where this number comes from. Statistisches Bundesamt says it's 1,958 kwh. https://www.destatis.de/EN/Themes/Society-Environment/Enviro... Interestingly, for 2 person households they state 3,196 kwh and for 3+ person households 4,919 kwh. Energy consumption scales worse than I expected. I assumed there would be more synergy in shared households.

'3+' covers 3, but also 4, 5, 6 and 7. That average really doesn't tell you much on how it scales.

Re: German digital signage ban prompts confusion

#334
post #309

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Air drying clothes indoor is pretty bad [because it] leaves textile in a bad state (at least for cotton and wool). > Also things like sheets and towels really should not be left to dry indoor. Can you elaborate on both statements? I currently leave everything, including sheets and towels, to air dry indoors.

Not the OP, but indoor drying in winter at least where I live has the issue that (a) it tends to be so slow that the wash sometimes starts smelling stale, (b) it's just extracting heat from the house by evaporation, so it's going to raise your heating bills anyhow, perhaps? (c) you might end up having issues with indoor humidity, such as moldy walls. Heat pump or condensing dryers may well be a better option. Almost…

> you might end up having issues with indoor humidity

Winter air tends to be much drier than summer air, so much so that my bath towels dry on the rack in the winter overnight, but may stay damp for a whole day in the summer.

That said, water will condense at heat bridges (?)(poorly/not insulated parts of the wall) in the winter, causing mold, if the place is poorly insulated.

Re: German digital signage ban prompts confusion

#335

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Everyone lauds LEDs for being super energy efficient, but the reality is that they really aren't. It's just that they are being compared to even worse light sources that were so bad at efficiency it's hard to really grasp how much they sucked.

Is there a more efficient way of producing light? Because I don't know of any.

I read a neat article recently that talked about the "Dubai Lamp". They're lightbulbs that Philips makes for Dubai that are twice as efficient as their standard LED bulbs. The difference is simple: LEDs are more efficient when run at lower power, so by increasing the number of LED elements in the bulbs and reducing the voltage across them you get 600 lumens for 3 W. For reference, California requires lightbulbs to operate at 80 lumens per watt or higher.

https://hackaday.com/2021/01/17/leds-from-dubai-the-royal-li...

Looks like they're bringing this idea to the rest of the world:

https://www.lighting.philips.co.uk/consumer/p/led-bulb/87195...

Re: German digital signage ban prompts confusion

#336

Here in Germany, there was recently a leak in the news. It said that a single LED sign consumes as much energy as 10 single households[0]. Of course, the companies don't want to give any official information. That is pretty high for no real value for society in my opinion... [0] https://www.tagesschau.de/wirtschaft/technologie/led-reklame...

What's the alternative with some high power lights aimed at a non-LED sign? I'd expect for similar brightness the power usage is going to be almost the same. Maybe even more because you're relying on reflected light rather than emitted light.

Re: German digital signage ban prompts confusion

#337

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why are ACs awkward in Germany?

Because they are power-hungry and everyone knows that. More generally because the climate in central Europe is not like Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, California but hospitable during the summer season without AC. AC makes it more comfortable during hot days but it is still doable without. This is only true for private households. Since 10 years ACs are widely used in a business environment.

Except, modern AC is pretty efficient. I have a decent monoblock cooler in our apartment in Berlin. I also have a 1-second sampling power meter. The AC unit uses about 700 watts when active cooling, but of course it cycles so that's not all the time. We also only run it when it's 30+ during the daytime.

Overall, it's only added about 15-20kWh to our monthly usage. (2-person household, about 200kWh/month average)

Re: German digital signage ban prompts confusion

#338

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Meanwhile during the summer momnths offices in the US turn on the AC to such low temperatures that one needs to put on a sweater.

Remember that when you're too hot in an office, there's really nothing you can do about it and you just have to suffer. At least you have the option to do things like put on a sweater when you're too cold. Given that, it seems to make sense to keep the office at the coolest temperature preferred by anyone in it.

I like your logic And like lower temperatures when working. The idea that someone would ask for the whole company to be set at the temperature they want and everyone else wears a jumper quite funny.

Re: German digital signage ban prompts confusion

#340

A while ago I had an idea for a device that has a light sensor on it. The device has in/out for the data cable. It basically overlays a dark image over the feed. In dark conditions the device darkens the LED output and vice-a-versa for light conditions. Too many signs are too bright to comfortably look at night.

I realise your comment isn't directly related, but the article directly states "showing a black image" is not an acceptable solution (it wouldn't save any power). I'd like to see your idea done for backlight/brightness control though!
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