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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: steve_ (Sep 22, 2008 10:58 am) " I may go buy an airline - I have a few cases of soda pop bottles I can cash in for the deposit. " Or as the SW attendant doing the safety lecture said, your seat may be used as a flotation device. That's why it's so uncomfortable. Followed by in the event of an emergency a small margerine cup will fall from your overhead. The cost is $2.50 for the first minute, $1.50 there after. There is a smoking section but it is out on the wing. Nothing aganst Matt Simmons but the peak oil argument doesn't fly. Regarding todays' shenanigans in the pit at the Nymex. There is a game they like to play on contract expiration where they run oil up a little and see if they can squeeze the shorts. Holy moly ,all the hedge funds that used to be long were all short. Since they are losing money when the price goes up and since they panic on expiration day since you have to cover before days's end ...So oil briefly touched $130/bbl before settling around $120. Yes a 30% increase intra day surely reflects market fundamentals  for a few hours. No need for $500 oil, $200 oil shuts down the global economy just fine. $500 is rather like 10 cyanide pills.That is of course the point that outrageous price advocates don't get, it is price sensitive. If it were not , we might have to lose 10-15 Edmunds forums.
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Replying to: gagrice (Sep 22, 2008 1:17 pm) We might see expanded use of that German coal to liquid technology, or similar technologies. Greenies will pop a nut, and it can be expensive, but many other countries already use the process and are expanding use. Our military is exploring this avenue. The process produces very clean diesel. We've got lots of coal. I have noticed that the "Ethanol will save us" hoopla seemed to get real quiet while had the run up mid summer. |
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A reporter from a national newspaper would like to speak with consumers who are considering purchasing a hybrid vehicle. If you are in the market, please respond to ctalati edmunds.com with your daytime contact information no later than Friday 9/26.
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Replying to: andre1969 (Sep 22, 2008 5:04 pm) |
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Replying to: 1stpik (Sep 22, 2008 5:56 pm) You were quoted an over-priced version. There is a wind power company in Abilene TX which installs home turbines for around $10K to do about 50% of a home's power or about $16K to do nearly 90% of the power, based on average usage. And what's the big deal with a 21 year payback period? Is your house going to fall down before 21 years is up? Imagine what electricity might cost in 21 years - maybe triple today's cost or even more? Every single day that you use something else other than the grid to power your home is like money in the "Bank of Yourself" 15 years from now. Even if you sell the house, the cost is recouped back to you at about $10 per $1 saved on the electric bill. So if you install something that saves $1,000 a year on utility bills, then your house INSTANTLY (historically speaking) will go up $10,000 in value. People are slowly but surely getting the message. Solar and wind will be making big strides in the next 5 years, and we will ALL be better off because of it.
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Replying to: larsb (Sep 23, 2008 6:03 am) How big would a turbine like that be? I wonder if they would be feasible in Maryland, where I live. And what's the big deal with a 21 year payback period? Is your house going to fall down before 21 years is up? Imagine what electricity might cost in 21 years - maybe triple today's cost or even more? My house is 92 year old, so it just might.  Actually, the thought of future costs, of both electricity and home heating oil, is what helped me justify the expense of having my heat pump put in. With the furnace, I averaged 450 gallons per year. I'm currently locked in at around $3.70 per gallon, once you factor in all the fees and taxes they tack on. Last winter was mild, luckily, and I only spent about $1200-1300 on oil, but a more typical winter would have cost around $1700 at those prices. And with the way prices have gone up, I'm sure I'd be paying $2000+ this winter. When I first moved into the house, back in late 2003, I had a contract for oil at $1.19 per gallon. Electricity was averaging out to about 7.9 cents per kilowatt hour. Well, the last time I checked oil prices, they quoted me about $4.20 per gallon, a jump of almost 2.5 times! Electricity's creeping up too. So far in 2008, I'm averaging out to about 15.2 cents per kilowatt hour, so it's not quite doubled. I took a wild guess that my break even point would be in about 8-10 years. But if electric and oil prices go back up, it could be sooner.
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Replying to: andre1969 (Sep 23, 2008 6:17 am) Here is the website for the Abilene company: Residential Wind Turbines Looks like the size of the larger residential turbine is 22 ft in diameter (blade tip to blade tip) and the higher up you can put them, the more air flow you get. As far as if it would work in your area, it depends on the average daily wind speed. The higher wind speed of course means more energy can be generated from the wind. Bonus Page Just For You: Maryland residential wind turbine and wind power information page
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Replying to: larsb (Sep 23, 2008 6:03 am) With the fast advance in technology, a system should payback the cost in 3-5 years to be practical. Forget the 25 year warranty. None of the same companies will be selling solar in 10 years. Your system quits and you are money down the toilet. Centralized wind could bring down the cost of commercial power also. I am still skeptical of solar. Charging yard lights they are fine. |
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Replying to: larsb (Sep 23, 2008 6:44 am)
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Replying to: gagrice (Sep 23, 2008 6:52 am) And over time, wind turbines WILL be accepted in cities. It's just a matter of time passing. |
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