Thanks to social media
USA discovers ventilation as an alternative to air conditioning
Something very common in Germany is becoming a trend in the USA: ventilation. Influencers and blogs explain this German habit to the land of air conditioning.
In the land of air conditioning, a trend from Germany is spreading: ventilation. Or as influencers call it: “German ventilation”. Lucie Rauschnabel, for example, explains to her around 166,000 followers in a TikTok video what habits she picked up from growing up in a “German household in the USA”. She then explains ventilation as follows: “This means opening the windows in a room or house and letting fresh air in, rather than turning up the air conditioning and cutting yourself off from fresh air.”
even praises ventilation as a “German autumn ritual that you should try out as soon as possible”. Author Lara Walsh writes, “While browsing fall aesthetic videos on TikTok and Instagram, I discovered ‘ventilating,’ a German habit that rids your home of stale air and mold with minimal effort.” You can confidently sign the former. But because of the mold, many Germans probably think: “It depends on HOW you ventilate!” In any case, Walsh writes, “The fresh air circulating in your home also has additional health benefits, such as increased energy, improved mood, improved respiratory well-being, and even better digestion.”
Criticism of the trend towards ventilation in the USA
Ventilation is far less positive: “But despite all the enthusiasm for fresh air circulation, researchers point out that the national devotion to ventilation could actively undermine the energy efficiency of buildings – and Berlin’s goals for reducing emissions.” He points out that this is exactly what he criticizes: “While households have different and changing temperature needs and want quick adjustment, the energy efficient building offers homogeneous temperatures and slow temperature changes. This leads to households opening the windows often and for a long time to suit their needs for thermal comfort – even in the dead of winter. The direct and indirect heating energy losses due to the observed ventilation practices can contribute to the energy performance gap of energy-efficient buildings.
These tricks help you save on heating costs – and they cost (almost) nothing
Lower room temperature
The most banal of all tips, but let’s be honest: In times of cheap gas, many people probably didn’t pay much attention to how much they turned up the heating in the winter. But it’s worth it. As a rule of thumb: every degree less in room temperature saves around 6 percent in heating costs. According to the German Tenants’ Association, the ideal temperatures in the living room are 20 to 22 degrees and in the bedroom 16 to 18 degrees. If you are going away for a few days, you should set the temperature to 15 degrees, or even slightly lower if you are away for a longer period of time, recommends the Federal Environment Agency.
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Is more energy lost there than through constantly running air conditioning? It will be interesting to see whether the “German ventilation” trend will disappear again in the USA – or whether it will even become a habit.
tkr
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
