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How does gas at $4 and higher impact you?

795 messages,  Last post on Apr 01, 2013 at 9:05 AM

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Messages Page 74 of 80

#727 of 795 Re: $4.00/gal is back... [xwesx] by andre1969

Feb 18, 2013 (10:22 am)

Replying to: xwesx (Feb 12, 2013 11:11 am)
I purchased my heating oil (750 gallons) in July of 2012, and it was, if I recall correctly, $3.57/gal.

 
I made the decision to convert over to an all-electric heat pump back in the fall of '08, when home heating oil hit $5.62 per gallon. And, wouldn't you know it, as soon as it was finished, and it was time to start turning it on in the cold weather, fuel prices plummeted while electric rates soared!
 
Things have leveled out since then though. I used to average about 450 gallons of oil per year, and the last time I checked, I think heating oil around here is a bit over $4/gal. So, at today's rates, I'd average around $1800-2000 per year in oil, plus the ~$300 service contract on the furnace. My electric bill is higher, to be sure, but not that much. I'd estimate maybe $500-600 more, thanks to the heat pump. It might actually save me a bit of money in the summer, because I used to run 3 window unit a/cs. Now I just run the heat pump, plus one window unit upstairs.
 
I imagine though, that the further north you go, the more useless a heat pump is.

#728 of 795 Re: $4.00/gal is back... [andre1969] by xwesx

Feb 18, 2013 (11:03 am)

Replying to: andre1969 (Feb 18, 2013 10:22 am)
There's some experimentation with various heat pump designs up here, but I don't think they have caught on in a wide-spread fashion.
 
450 gallons a year that far south?! I think your home could benefit greatly from some thermal upgrades.
 
It is -20F here this morning.

#729 of 795 Re: How does $5 gas impact YOU??? [imidazol97] by steve_ HOST

Feb 18, 2013 (11:47 am)

Replying to: imidazol97 (Feb 18, 2013 10:18 am)
In the Midwest maybe. (thestarpress.com). Funny how utility profits are higher there. (insideindianabusiness.com).
 
"The national wholesale electric market is deeply depressed. The technique of fracking for natural gas has brought a large supply of inexpensive fuel to the market, which power companies in other states use to make cheap electricity to feed onto the grid." (registerguard.com)
 
Natural gas prices are helping lower electricity rates in NJ. (mycentraljersey.com).
 
And out in AZ, there's a recent rate increase, partly blamed on the utility's own energy conservation efforts that lowered consumption, irritating the very consumers who changed light bulbs and insulated their houses. The utility is so scared of not being able to pay their sunk costs, they are attacking solar. (cleantechnica.com). They'll really be hurting paying for the increased security and waste management costs of their nuke plants in the future. (Duke Power is having to spend something like $500 million just on better safety/security for one nuke plant).
 
Looking at the CAFE targets for US passenger cars, if you were an oil company, would you want to put a lot of money toward building new refineries?

#730 of 795 Re: How does $5 gas impact YOU??? [steve_] by gagrice

Feb 18, 2013 (1:06 pm)

Replying to: steve_ (Feb 18, 2013 11:47 am)
Several good points and questions.
 
Natural gas fired generation has not done anything in CA to lower rates. The state is extorting money on their CO2 scam. Forcing 20% of our power to be generated by renewable energy. There are a lot of residential solar systems that raise the cost for everyone else. My neighbor with solar only pays $5 per month to be hooked up to the grid. He ended up with a surplus at the end of last year. Of course he will be paying for the solar for many years to come. Not sure if it is a good deal or not. I don't think you would get a permit for wind. It takes at least a couple years to get the Environmental impact study done for a wind farm. I don't see where NG produced from fracking is a better deal than clean coal.

#731 of 795 Re: How does $5 gas impact YOU??? [gagrice] by steve_ HOST

Feb 18, 2013 (1:20 pm)

Replying to: gagrice (Feb 18, 2013 1:06 pm)
I think the emissions issues are easier (cheaper) to meet with natural gas though. And I think the NG plants are easier and faster to build.
 
It's kind of funny though to consider that as mpg "doubles" so does your gas bill.
 
I need a Volt and one of these gizmos. Actually an electric minivan so I could just pull over, lug it out, and recharge the batteries.
 
There's certainly plenty of snow around this winter to reflect all that solar.

#732 of 795 Re: $4.00/gal is back... [xwesx] by andre1969

Feb 18, 2013 (1:56 pm)

Replying to: xwesx (Feb 18, 2013 11:03 am)
450 gallons a year that far south?! I think your home could benefit greatly from some thermal upgrades.
 
Oh, definitely! My house is about 97 years old, has been added onto over the decades in a somewhat slipshod fashion, and has almost no insulation. Thinking about it, I guess it's a miracle my oil bills (and electric bills) haven't been even higher than they are!
 
As for temps, I think it got down to about +25F here last nite so yeah, pretty mild in comparison. I think about the worst we've seen so far this winter is 12-13F overnight. Worst temps I've seen that I can remember was back in early 1994 when we had lows of around -12F or so.

#733 of 795 Re: $4.00/gal is back... [andre1969] by xwesx

Feb 18, 2013 (2:54 pm)

Replying to: andre1969 (Feb 18, 2013 1:56 pm)
Oh, sheesh. I should know that (with all the photos you've posted over the years). We're looking to buy a little cottage in PA, built in 1910 or some odd, and I'm sure that place is similar in its lack of thermal attention.
 
Being from the sub-arctic, I'm sure we'll make that a priority if we're able to get it.

#734 of 795 incentives down by steve_ HOST

Mar 01, 2013 (9:22 am)

"Every year there comes a time when gas prices put hybrid and compact cars into focus, but it's not often we have them under the microscope this early."
 
Fuel-Efficient Vehicles Run Short on Incentives in February (marketwatch.com)

#735 of 795 Re: incentives down [steve_] by gagrice

Mar 01, 2013 (2:21 pm)

Replying to: steve_ (Mar 01, 2013 9:22 am)
No good reason for the automakers to give incentives on cars that are selling well. I am hoping it will make dealing on a diesel SUV easier. If I can even find one. They are in short supply around here.

#736 of 795 We're Lucky by hpmctorque

Mar 03, 2013 (7:57 pm)

From the March 1 Wall Street Journal, prices per gallon of gasoline in various cities:
 
New York, $4.88
 
Paris, 8.21
 
London, 7.15
 
Hong Kong, 8.10
 
Sydney, 5.68
 
I assume that's for regular, although the article didn't specify the grade. Also, New York is high priced for an American city. Most of us pay less than $4.00/gallon, so maybe we shouldn't complain.

Messages Page 74 of 80

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