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Automotive News & Views How does gas at $4 and higher impact you?
2183 messages, Last post on Nov 21, 2009 at 5:13 PM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
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Replying to: larsb (Sep 22, 2008 11:59 am) It would then also have to heat millions of homes in the Northeast, and we're talking replacing 500 - 1000 gal/home. How long do you think it's going to take to build and install these million windmills? or 10 billion solar panels? You'll see more coal-fired electrical plants is what you'll see in this country. BTW - in my house I use heating oil year-round. I have a newer furnace (System 2000) and when I use any hot-water, it is the oil burner that comes on to initially heat it before going into the hot-water tank. I guess this is from a few years ago when oil was much cheaper than electricity. I'm going to checkout how much it will cost to disconnect the System 2000 from the water heater. With the electricity companies trying to get people to conserve, I don't know how the "grid" will handle many people either switching from oil or propane to electric. And then to think people will recharge their electric cars, and it is during the evening when the coldest and the sun is down that people will be using their heating system the most - not a good scenario. I'd also still like to hear what happens when an ice-storm puts the power-lines down to 100,000 people or so for a few days. How would people keep warm and get out and about without gasoline for cars and backup generators.
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Replying to: kernick (Sep 22, 2008 12:59 pm)
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Replying to: kernick (Sep 22, 2008 12:59 pm) Anything that moves us away from being as reliant on oil as we are today is a good idea to me. Solar power is getting cheaper and better. All that is needed now is the "political will" to get it rolling. The technology is in place to build solar power plants that are as efficient as a coal plant. I know lots of rural areas in Texas where people could put up a personal residential wind turbine and get much of their home's power from it and feed some power back to the grid at the same time. That could be done FAST if it became a societal priority. If the predictions of oil going up even more start coming true, then we MUST find alternative power resources. It won't be a "just a game" anymore if gas hit $8-$10 a gallon.
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Replying to: larsb (Sep 22, 2008 1:27 pm) Maybe it will. Everbody said that about $3 gas, then $4 gas. For me personally, it would take a lot of the fun out of the game but I am not pawning jewelry at that point.
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Replying to: lemmer (Sep 22, 2008 1:43 pm) Notice small car and SUV sales the last six months? And the fact that we are driving about 10 billion fewer miles per month? And that mass transit ridership is up? And that a lot more people are riding bicycles to work? On the infrastructure side, the "green building" movement has taken off. That's another great indication that people are being moved to action. People want their home energy bills to be low so they can afford to buy gas. That will keep ramping up. With these effects at current prices, imagine the effects if the price of gas DOUBLES ??!?!?!? Now, no, of course not EVERY family will be spurred to take action. But it does not take 80% of people to make a change for the change to be noticeable.
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Replying to: larsb (Sep 22, 2008 1:56 pm) If that happens expect mass riots and hysteria. When people start freezing and starving the beast will come out. Better buy a gun before they make them all illegal. You may need it. |
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We are in a mess now. $4 gas has driven us away from GM and Ford and delivered us into the hands of Honda. A lot of unemployment resulted from that. It's the wrong direction. Japan bought JP Morgan today for pennies on the dollar. What would they want with owning a trading firm on wall st? Control over who gets 40,000 jobs? It's bad enough at $4. $8 gas? My job would possibly go away. Very few could afford a $900 ticket to fly to Fl and back from Chicago. How many HS students could drive 10 miles to a Job at Wendy's in a cheap car that gets 20 mpg? Blockbuster's would go away. You could buy the movie for the gas to return it. Half the gas stations could shut down. The big 3 would make half as many trucks. |
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I'm sure our economy would be in some serious turmoil. Now on the surface, I wouldn't be hurting too badly. All of a sudden the $13K I spent on the heat pump would seem like a very wise investment. And my commuting costs would be about $7-8.00 per day if I drove one of my older cars, maybe $4 if I drove the Intrepid. Doesn't sound bad, except for the fact that my job is only 3.5 miles away! In fact, lately I've been taking a longer route to work to give my older cars a better run, but it's more like 5 miles. Heck, I could probably walk to work in about 45 mins. But, I'm sure $8.00 per gallon would find its way into higher electric rates and food costs. It would probably work its way into higher costs for just about everything.
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Replying to: andre1969 (Sep 22, 2008 5:04 pm) I know some think it is cool. I am more empathetic to their struggles in spite of the fact most brought it on themselves trying to keep up with the Jones. |
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Replying to: larsb (Sep 22, 2008 1:27 pm) I checked into that last year. Those things cost $30,000. My average monthly power bill is $120 -- that's a 21 year payback period.
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