: : Note: I'm not saying that the US is inferior, or bad, or anything; I'm just puzzled by this vast gulf in levels of energy consumption.:
: Easy... they leave their air conditioning units on all day and these consume an awful amount of power. Also they have electric everything - I mean massage beds ?? sums them up really.
Blower, where do you get your information from? I don't know a single person with a massage bed, and I doubt most people leave the AC on all day, as the electric bills would be enormous. I don't know why the USA consumes more juice than the UK or similar countries, but it ain't because of humming beds and frosty houses.
As for the obesity problem here, it's very true. I work in Washington, DC right near the Smithsonian Institution. It's a magnet for tourists, and every day, I'm amazed by how fat my fellow Americans are. Just goes to show what a diet heavy in meat and dairy will do to you.