Thread: Greening up with the Joneses

Time Online today reported that:

Householders will be encouraged to compete to be ‘greener than the Joneses’ under Conservative plans to tell people what their neighbours spend on energy.
Telling people how much their neighbours spend on gas and electricity is designed to encourage them to keep their costs down and reduce their consumption of fossil fuels.
David Cameron, the Conservative leader, announced the initiative as part of his plans to wean the British public off their dependence on the fossil fuels that drive climate change.

The problem here in North America is that its a status symbol to drive a bigger and gas guzzling truck rather than a small four cylinder car and some even call a small economical car a poorman's car. This type of idealogy has to change before more and more people stop wasting gas on these monsters of the road!

Will those neighbours be forced to share their energy consumption information. If so then I think the idea is rotten even though good intentions are behind it.

But some actually consider it a status symbol to waste energy just like its a status symbol to go to the restaurant and order more food than they can possibly eat. North Americans are a wastefull people unfortunately

Originally Posted by CarlU

Will those neighbours be forced to share their energy consumption information. If so then I think the idea is rotten even though good intentions are behind it.

I agree. Voluntary programs are OK, but we've got enough violation of privacy issues these days.