BERLIN - Jörg Mertens knew the West's standoff with Russia had sent energy prices soaring across Europe. But his August bills left him gobsmacked.Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post.
Thieves, sensing opportunity, are stealing logs from truck beds; scammers are setting up fake websites, posing as wood sellers to con desperate consumers. Wood-burning ovens and furnaces in several countries have almost completely sold out."Firewood is the new gold," said Franz Lüninghake, 62, a systems administrator in Bremen, Germany, who has a wood-burning furnace on back order. His estimated energy bill for the next year? $4,500 - up from $1,500 for the 12 months to May.
Europeans were already funding a transition to renewable energy sources through taxes and tariffs on their power bills, paying more on average than their American counterparts. Now, that gap has widened. As winter approaches, the economic pain could test the continent's resolve on sanctions to punish Russia for invading Ukraine.
Ed Trewhitt, 55, owner of Brickyard Bakery in Guisborough, England, said it won't be enough to save his business. If energy prices stay this high, he said, he'll be forced to close next year. The cost to run his bread oven has doubled over the last year to $2,300 a month. That spike comes on top of Britain's soaring inflation, which is at a 40-year high.
"They drive in with a trailer or a tractor and a loading truck and a crane, have professional equipment, saw the stuff together and drive it out," he said. "Audacity prevails." Germany, slouching toward recession, is ahead of schedule in filling up its gas reserves. But a bitterly cold winter could still cause hardship. If the government imposes rationing, officials say, they will put citizens before industry.
Thinker_View and without Russsian wood.
Poke da bro Thinker_View
Nothing like 1750 London.
Colder winter 😄😃😄😃😄😃😊😆😉😉
So why can't they use electric stoves? Just plug them in and you have heat with no smoke or emissions. No need for a special charging station, either.
I think there is a way to solve with this problemns, cause we are not living when the ancient men using the twigs and the stone to rekindle the fire to make warm their house ahem 😘
Chilly and grim prospect...
Blame Biden. He closed everything here that could helped over there. He's a menace to the world.
The guy is the World citizens’ PUBLIC ENEMY. Stop the War now.
When Trump had the US energy independent and exporting fossil fuel and gas, we could have helped Europe.
He was going to kill me but at that time I called Allah, ﷻ that “Ya Allah help me' and then the word Allah ﷻ written came down from the sky and then Allah ﷻ threw lightning on a mountain. MuhammadQasimDreams
My son lives in Munich, but was here a few weeks ago. He did not seem overly concerned about being cold this winter. Was he just trying to ease my mind?
They chose Lisa Simpson over Mr. Burns.
The year is 2022 and Germans are stealing trees and burning furniture..................
Good luck with coal/wood prices tripled 🥶
Funny how Trump warned them of this... He was right about everything
Wood shower 🤣🤣🤣
Ooooo coal stoves that’s a new one. Technology advancing so fast didn’t even know about this new clean tech called coal