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A comment on Balcony solar taking off: 1.5M Germans have them there must be something in it. Parent comment

Re:Balcony solar taking off: 1.5M Germans have them there mu... by digdugdirk on Monday February 10, 2025 @04:46PM (#43005619)
That's what the previous comment is saying - the tenant is responsible for the electricity cost, but has no ability to make capital improvements/investments to increase efficiency. Meanwhile, the apartment owner has no incentive to make those same investments, because they aren't on the hook for the monthly energy costs. It's a mismatched set of incentives that results in cheaper, low efficiency apartment buildings and higher energy usage across the country.
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Re:Balcony solar taking off: 1.5M Germans have them there mu... by panick21_ on Monday February 10, 2025 @05:25PM (#43006083)
In theory people should consider electricity cost when selecting where they live. Maybe there is an issue with getting that information. But I think this is the same with all renting, not just apartments.
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Re:Balcony solar taking off: 1.5M Germans have them there mu... by BobAliceInATree on Monday February 10, 2025 @07:36PM (#43007340)
NYC buildings now have an "efficiency" rating they're required to post on the front of their building. Doesn't give you a $, but maybe a gist of what your energy bill might be like.
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Re:Balcony solar taking off: 1.5M Germans have them there mu... by wongarsu on Monday February 10, 2025 @06:14PM (#43006521)
In Germany (and I believe the entire EU?) we now have a "building energy passport" that summarizes information like this, broken down into simple numbers and rating scales. It has to be provided when selling or renting a place, and definitely influences behavior.
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Re:Balcony solar taking off: 1.5M Germans have them there mu... by inetknght on Tuesday February 11, 2025 @11:11AM (#43014539)
> In theory people should consider electricity cost when selecting where they live.

In theory, perhaps.

But how many people truly have the capability to choose where to live? Most are happy enough to find somewhere they could afford, let alone afford near enough to where they work, and they can't just go find new work to find better (more efficient, in this case) living conditions so easily.

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Re:Balcony solar taking off: 1.5M Germans have them there mu... by panick21_ on Tuesday February 11, 2025 @02:07PM (#43016902)
Given the other answers I got shows that this is something that is done and people have found solutions too.

Many people look at multiple places when they are looking for a place to live.

Its unrealistic to think that for most people there is only a single possible place they can live.

So as soon as you have two places you are considering, having information about what future cost will be, will make you help prioritize one over the other.

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