Re:Economic growth no longer requires rising emissions
by andsoitis on Friday November 11, 2022 @09:15AM
(#33561023)
> This idea that you need to have your lights on all night is rather recent. For a very very long time people survived by following the natural rythms of daylight.
People have used fire, candles for a very very long time to provide light at night.
Re:Economic growth no longer requires rising emissions
by bombcar on Friday November 11, 2022 @10:47AM
(#33562255)
Lighting is a very small fraction of our energy usage (about 5%): https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=99&t=3
If we built our houses right, we could drastically shift energy usage requirements for heating and cooling to daylight hours (utilizing thermal mass storage like https://www.steffes.com/ets/ )
Re:Economic growth no longer requires rising emissions
by AngryData on Friday November 11, 2022 @04:32PM
(#33567131)
Also you can't underestimate moon light either in premodern times. Deep in the trees or an urban landscape with tall buildings all around it is less reliable, but even a half moon on a clear night without washing your vision out with bright artificial lights leaves you with a ton of light. And even when overcast you aren't completely blinded at night as long as you have a decent amount of sky above you.
I think the idea of people sleeping as soon as the sun is down and not just doing low-light activities even 3000 years ago as ridiculous despite being a pervasive idea.
This idea that you need to have your lights on all night is rather recent. For a very very long time people survived by following the natural rythms of daylight. Some people even think this is healthier, and suggest special apps to adjust screen brightness to follow natural light patterns.
A good fridge/freezer should hold its cold overnight, especially if you aren't snacking at midnight.
So while it might be true that your current lifestyle is based on 24/7 electricity, but what makes that lifestyle sacrosanct? You'll probably change it over the next few years anyway, and odds are it is different today than it was 5 years ago.