[68vette]

If you have to heat your home they are going to get you one way or another. Not only is oil trading at record levels, but so are natural gas and coal. Cord wood prices have gone up as well.

We are feeling the pain from the price of oil in almost everything. This past week we felt a little of the pain. We get our septic tank pumped about every five years and this year we were charged for fuel used by the truck. We never had a charge for the fuel used by the truck. Our pool needs a new a new liner and we were told to order before the end of June because the price of crude oil is going to increase the prices on liners. Thank God it only need to be replaced every 20 years.

[OhBeeHave]

I had to order roofing for a jobsite -- there was a price increase June 1st, with increases expected on 6/15 & 6/30. Each increase is 6-7%. A $50 square will be $60 by the end of the month.

All of the local lumber yards are tacking on fuel surcharges for their deliveries. The biggest insult was when a yard delivered the wrong product (we asked for A, they sent B) and then they tried to charge us to pick up their mistake!

[flu189]

With all of these fuel surcharges consumers really need to be alert. I fully understand and appreciate the need for businesses to compensate for increased energy costs, but I have seen a few instances where the surcharge was simply absurd, well above the actual cost increases for wholesale purchase and delivery costs of products. This of course is nothing new, meaning certain people taking advantage of others for the sake of profit, and the fuel spike provides an opportunity for some to engage in gouging.

[MTK1]

There are going to be no cheap heating prices indeed. Usually this time of year as demand for heating oil drops so does the price. The exact opposite is happening where heating oil is on the rise. A barrel of oil just went up $11 in 2 days. I have sadly left Vermont and in my top 5 reasons for leaving the cost of heating was high on the list. 65% of houses in Vermont use heating oil for heat. Current $5 a gallon heating oil is going to crush Vermont. A state where 65% of its citizens can't even afford a house are going to be faced with some tough decisions such as this-

A Vermont mother wrote, "We have at times had to choose between baby food and heating fuel."
Sen. Bernie Sanders: The Collapse of the Middle Class, Letters from Vermont and America - Politics on The Huffington Post

Lets not forget about gasoline either. With $4 a gallon gas coupled with long commutes in a rural state with practically no mass transit in place its going to cost people a day or two of wages a week to get to work. When I left my job 2 weeks ago in Burlington the gas prices were hitting people so hard that my company starting reimbursing mileage. People were not willing to drive in for anything less than a 8 hour shift. The state transporation fund is taking a massive hit as well.

Changes that are adding up in the wrong direction for the state's transportation fund. Last month, gas tax collections were down over $4 million. Diesel tax - down almost a million. Gas Prices Cut into State Finances

[flu189]

The ripple effect from rising fuel is pretty much going to hit every sector. As far as housing goes this will also put a serious dent into attempts to create more affordable housing stock as construction costs will rise and folks who would be candidates for such housing are losing much of their purchasing power right from the start from all of the associated cost increases on staples just to exist. On the other hand, though it's not really good news for many, the continued limited supply of housing should keep our values from falling too much in comparision to other places in the country. My major concern is that when I am ready to actually sell and move it might take quite a while close, maybe even a whole year. I know of several people where I work who have already made arrangements to stay with coworkers closer to work a few days a week to cut down on commuting costs. For most of these folks converting to bikes, mopeds, or matchbox cars will not work due to distance and the fact we are a 24/7 365 day operation.

[quickdraw]

This country has been due for a correction in many areas and our oil consumption is just the tip of the iceberg. We are the only country where so many people drive huge automobiles and live in huge homes. Unfortunately the US government can't pull strings like it used to, just look at the number of countries that refused to go to war with us.

So now it's come to this and everyone will be trading in their trucks and SUV's for Pontiac Vibes and Toyota Matrixes, getting along fine with these vehicles like the rest of the world.

Our debt will catch up to us next. It's said we are one of the wealthiest nations in the world, when we are actually one of the poorest.

The men of World War one made this country great and we've been riding their coat tails for a long time. We've become fat, lazy and uneducated. Seriously, is there any reason why we should be leading the world? Everyone thinks that gas will come back down and we'll go back to the good old old american way of living. I don't think so. I think we are in for some very hard decades ahead. India and China will be calling the shots why we try and repair our country.

[chrismpv]

As for me, I need to find a part time job (a second job) just to pay for fuel. I will probably close some of my rooms but I don't think it will make a different.

[flu189]

Just read something today which actually merits consideration concerning heating for those with oil systems. Using electric space heaters for occupied rooms based on cost now rivals oil in cost when comparing the unit cost per million BTU. The cost and quality of such heaters has really improved and for those who just don't have the funds or desire to fund a major system change it just might help. Looking back over the span of five years heating oil has gone from $1.35 p/gal to $4.70 today while the rate per kwh has only gone from roughly .14 to .16. At least with electric it is quick to provide heat and you only use it when and where you need it being able to keep the house thermostat down lower than normal.

[NYtoVT]

Sine we no longer live in the Republik of Vermont, we will be draining every drop of water out of house there and replacing it with a non-toxic anti-freeze. If we did live there we would be heating with a pellet stove.

[MTK1]

Good point flu189 on using electric space heaters to cut down on fuel use. I did exactly this when I lived in Burlington. Even though I had natural gas which was a relative bargain compared to oil/propane it cut down my gas usage quite a bit. I had a natural gas steam boiler that would take quite a bit to warm up the radiators and most of the time I left the t-stat on 60 and used electic heaters when I got home from work and made out fine this way. I think I was paying .13 cents KWH through Burlington Electic. So a 1500W heater running for one hour was costing me roughly twenty five cents/hour including the other fees added to my bill. Not sure though how much longer VT is going to hold out with cheap electricity as I know Hydro Quebec and Vermont Yankee contracts will expire soon. Even with the majority of VT's electric supply being mostly independent from oil it still has the 10th most expensive electricity in th U.S. Here in CT and surrounding states electricity is now well over .20 kwh. Someone should look into a way to compress natural gas (like CNG cars) to be able to supply it to the outside of VT Gas's service area. According to the Vermont fuel price report per million btu's natural gas in VT is well over half of fuel oil/propane and only slightly above wood, coal, and pellets.

VT Fuel Price Report : Vermont Department of Public Service