They announced that our electric generation cost is going up, then they’re raising electric transfer rate so that a $75 bill would be $110.
Gas of course isn’t doing any better.
Maybe I should get junk mail sent to my house so that I burn it. Too bad you can’t burn email spam.
If someone could find a way to convert spam to energy, we’d never need another drop of oil.
I wish I could tell the spamers that I am not impressed with fancy gold watches. $5 plastic digital watches suit me just fine. I could save myself a whole lot of deleting every day it I could communicate that to them. But I know that it is not a personal message to me; a million spam messages are probably going out at any given time.
However sad the rise in prices is, bear in mind, that energy, especially gas/fuel still is ridiculously cheap in the US compared to, say, Europe. The good effect is, that more and more people acknowledge that oil or gas is not a limitless source and that our generation lays a heavy burden on future generations once these resources have dried out. Over here in Germany, this thought is not new, many do remember the motor-free Sundays in 1973, when travelling by car was forbidden nationwide due to oil/gas shortage. Then, in the late 90s German government invented the Ökosteuer (eco-tax) on gas in order to push forward the development of alternative energies or energy-saving technologies. In this aspect, the short-time market forces simply do not work: We use what is cheapest.
I believe the US government has neglected these developments for much too long.
US gas prices are not so cheap any more. I have been surprised the last few times I was in the US to see prices are the same or a bit more than Canada (today CAN $0.90/litre), but still cheaper than Europe.
Wind and water power generators are becoming more common here. There are even small wind generators that home owners can install to reduce electricity bills. I could punch the idiots who whine about the visual impact of wind farms, as if coal or nuclear generators are better because they don’t clutter the view. Stupid!
I have not seen anything for replacement of cars and trucks that is worth considering at this time. They are only glorified go-carts, and not practical. Can you imagine trying to get through a snowdrift in a vehicle with 8" tires? I would be happy to exchange, or even better, convert, my existing vehicle if someone came out with a reasonable alternative.
djm
Oi!! My Mini does just fine in Utah winters!!
and if one were so inclined, there’s always this solution…
…so, as I’ve said before, no one has any real solid or valid excuse for not owning a Mini 
Your love affair with Minis is your own cross to bear. I can’t stand being stuffed into one for more than an hour max. It hurts my back to be squashed in with my butt two inches off the floor. And how do your tow your boat or trailer with a little lawnmower engine like that? A reasonable alternative to me would be same size, same horsepower, different energy source to what I have now.
How many Minis would it take to replace even one 18-wheeler, and then where would the energy savings be with that many more vehicles on the road?
djm
Well, for starters, I can show you how to get 300 horsepower out of a "lawnmower sized engine"and how to beef a suspension to the point of towing capacity you’re talking about. But I have a Grand Cherokee Limited for any towing that I need, which, coincidentally has less room than my Mini and more than my old man’s Suburban…
I drive my Mini as my daily driver because I like to and because my monthly gas consumption is less than $20 on a bad month.
Seeing as how this is my first Mini-related post in ages, I can hardly see how one could consider it a cross to be bourn.
I suppose from now on I will have to be even more liberal with my emoticon sprinkling so that people will be fully aware and prepared when I am joking.
A couple of years ago our electric/gas company was really pushing for everyone to convert to natural gas. They had ads all over the place, a booth at the fair, exhibits at home shows, etc. The price was a lot lower than the electric rates then. I said then “watch, as soon as the majority of people have switched over the price will go up.” Sure enough, after a couple of years the company raised their gas rates dramatically.
We never converted because we would have to have both a furnace and ductwork installed - the house originally had an oil furnace in the crawlspace with a grate in the floor to let the heat upstairs. When my husband bought this house over 20 years ago the furnace had been removed and electric baseboard heat was installed. Yes, it’s expensive during the winter, so we keep it about 70 and wear layers and try to remember to shut off lights (and the computer) when not in use.
My great grandparents used a wind generator to power their radio, before the days when the Rural Electric Cooperative came to our area.