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By the time the efficiency folks are done, there is usually only 1/2 to 1/3 of the starting energy load (sometimes less) for me (on the energy production side) to deal with. So AFTER you have cut the energy use down -- THEN consider Solar, Wind, Solar Thermal, etc.
This was of great interest to me as a non-specialist. What I mean is we all know that better insulation, double-pane glass, cutting down leaks, etc. help save energy use for both heating and cooling a building. This has been preached by utility companies and others for many years. But I never realized exactly how much of a difference efficiency alone can make - it is really enormous! Of course I imagine that the kinds of savings you indicate above are realizable mostly on older buildings, assuming that new construction probably utilizes good efficiency practices from the ground up. Still, it is eye-opening.
This was of great interest to me as a non-specialist. What I mean is we all know that better insulation, double-pane glass, cutting down leaks, etc. help save energy use for both heating and cooling a building. This has been preached by utility companies and others for many years. But I never realized exactly how much of a difference efficiency alone can make - it is really enormous! Of course I imagine that the kinds of savings you indicate above are realizable mostly on older buildings, assuming that new construction probably utilizes good efficiency practices from the ground up. Still, it is eye-opening.
my dad's house was built in 91. in around 2003, he got a recall notice on his windows. the gas in between the panes was faulty on some windows, and his windows were in that lot. so they sent replacement windows. he sat on them for a few years, because he had to pay someone to install them. finally, in 2008, he put them in. his utility bills in summer and winter cut in HALF and he was shocked. i kept telling him to have them installed, that he would be amazed at how much heat and AC he was wasting.
i had an energy audit performed and they identified approximately 20% in efficiency improvement i can make. problem is, dollars wise, it's not huge, because it's mostly my natural gas consumption, which is not as expensive/inefficient as electricity. but i'm probably going to do the improvements anyways, just a longer break even point.
My parents who live in the South have to have central AC. They were using the unit that had come with their 35 year old house. When it went out they installed a new system that came with a scroll type compressor versus the older piston style. Their energy bill was cut in half. Amazing.
I went to get the paper at the local convenience store this am and regular gas was $3.98. Two minutes later I walked out and it was $4.03. A week ago it was $3.79 and a month ago it was around $3.50. This is the low-priced station in town. Down the street they were at $3.99 last week and now they're at $4.15.
The tipping point is approaching. My wife and I have seen our monthly commuting costs increase by roughly $250 per month in less than a year. It is an expense we can afford but not without cutting back in other areas. It will adversely affect the economy and the lives of those who do not have the ability to absorb these additional costs in their budgets as well as the associated pass-through costs.
Last edited by Lincolnian; 04-16-2011 at 02:42 PM..
As far as a "tipping point" goes, people really need to be watching diesel fuel prices--because diesel fuel is what transports nearly everything people need to survive. Anything over $4 per gallon for diesel--and we're there in most parts of the US right now--starts causing severe distress in this country's freight transportation system that is grossly overdependent on fuel-INefficient trucking. As fuel goes up, more and more freight does start to move by rail--which is 3 times as fuel-efficient as trucking--but, in many areas of the US, rail is running at near full-capacity already--and many areas have no rail service at all. Those latter places are going to fare especially poorly in the high-fuel-cost era we are now entering.
And, if diesel fuel winds up in inadequate supply, no matter what the price, the US could have a real catastrophe on its hands. Unfortunately, that is not beyond the realm of possibility.
You know, I love these shrill gasbags who do everything they can to get into the limelight.
Gas is not going to $15 a gallon anytime in the next twenty-thirty years, unless we have some major inflation. Why? Because when gasoline reaches a certain price range, people stop driving as much and start buying more economical cars. I mean, guys like this fearmonger conveniently ignore the fact that the market does not just blindly move along a prescribed trajectory, but rather moves according to the interaction of price and demand. The higher the price, the less the demand, when then drives the price back down again.
oil is the cheapest because its the cheapest. i read recently that it costs $20 per barrel to suck the oil from the ground. its cheap.
Oil is not the cheapest. The price of natural gas is about a third for the same energy value. A few users are looking to convert trucks and buses. Perhaps it will become economical to convert automobiles soon. Speculators will lose fortunes as the price drops below $3.00.
My parents who live in the South have to have central AC. They were using the unit that had come with their 35 year old house. When it went out they installed a new system that came with a scroll type compressor versus the older piston style. Their energy bill was cut in half. Amazing.
my parents replaced their HVAC system from 1991 about 4 years ago. the improvements in efficiency in that time period were quite amazing. people just have a hard time seeing the savings they will enjoy because the initial outlay is often a large number. if you told me i could spend $10,000 on my home today, and i would break even on it within 5 years, and every year after i'm keeping money in my pocket...i'd figure out a way to do that as soon as possible. i'm actually looking forward to whenever our dishwasher dies so i can get a new one that's slightly more efficient. also, our gas oven/stove...whenever it kicks the can, i want to get an induction stove. always looking to get a little further ahead.
At this point I'm glad we own an old econo-car. We have a long commute so its made a big difference. Even so, I changed the oil in it last week and since I do it myself I'm aware of the cost of oil. I always buy the cheapest generic oil. A month ago I could buy 5 quart containers for $12.99. Last week it was $16.99.
Out here in California gas is hovering around $4.30 a gallon. It used to cost us $20 to fill the car last year. Now its pushing $40. I can only imagine the difference for someone with a big SUV or even a typical family car.
Good. I hope it happens. I won't be affected because I don't consume that much goods and I live close enough to work that it won't bother me.
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