And so it begins.

Just did my home heating oil for the year. Went from 118/month to 280/month in a one year time. The real impact of the oil crisis is going to start to be really felt now.

I can literally feel the edges crumble away on our economy.

The worst, my friends, is still ahead of us, and its going to get really bad I think.

BTW.
Fuck this guy.
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/07/10/gramm-us-has-become-nation-of-whiners/

I'm on gas and am afraid myself but your numbers seem on par with my friend who does some sort of plan with his oil company. His was actually over $300 a month up from $150 last year. He and his wife are already working two jobs and have two kids, they're paying off student loans and medical bills. I feel for them :(

My gas bill was $5 this month.

BTW.
Fuck this guy.
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/07/10/gramm-us-has-become-nation-of-whiners/

Phil Gramm one of the biggest white collar thieves known to man. His hand has been in more shit filled financial deals than any single person.

I'm glad I don't even have a natural gas line to my house. It's inconvenient when the power goes out, but coal power is so much cheaper than heating oil/natural gas heat anymore. Completely opposite of how it was 5-6 years ago.

That used to be my fear also Taleren however I must say the power where I live rarely goes out even with feet of snow on the ground. I'm very impressed with the stability in PA. I can't say the same for places down South. Not sure what I would do if the power went out for an extended period though, maybe turn my oven on :p

The principle threat to power grids is still wind storms and likely to remain so more or less forever.

Gonna be a long cold winter... Buy more ammo.... Things gonna get a rock'n with economy going poof.

Using gas for heat and cooking. i'm averaging about $20 a month and loving it. you might wanna try picking up a kerosene heater the BTU/$ ratio is great with them if you use it to heat the main rooms your using and can allow you to keep the furnace set very low saving oil. the smell sucks when you shut them down but that doesnt have an actual monetary impact so heh, small price.

As far as wind storms. I love them. was 40 feet in the air when the DEC. 06 one was at its peak. was frakking awesome.

No gas here - thank god.

My electricity has crept up though, indeed I estimate my entire cost of living to have gone up roughly 10% when you throw in food/petrol.

Sweaters!! A few in my family installed wood burning boilers years ago already. They have steady access to wood and basically heat their homes, including the floors with in their home, garages and floors, and work shops. Hell he even heats his huge fricken pool with it.

I have natural gas and it is what it is, we'll take the stat down lower than we have ever had it before. No kids and small house makes it easy to get by...feel sorry for the folks with the Mcmansions and a pack of ankle biters running around.

The principle threat to power grids is still wind storms and likely to remain so more or less forever.


For a brief period it was Enron that was a bigger threat.

Enron was never a threat to infrastructure, it was a threat to just about everything else though. The rolling blackouts caused by Enron's horrific management and California's legislative stupidity had no technical basis, there was plenty of power, it wasn't being sent to California.

That being said excessive deregulation has proven itself to be easily the match of 50 years of wind storms in terms of cost bourne by the public.

Enron was never a threat to infrastructure, it was a threat to just about everything else though. The rolling blackouts caused by Enron's horrific management and California's legislative stupidity had no technical basis, there was plenty of power, it wasn't being sent to California.

That being said excessive deregulation has proven itself to be easily the match of 50 years of wind storms in terms of cost bourne by the public.

That was my point!

and California's legislative stupidity had no technical basis, there was plenty of power, it wasn't being sent to California. Well, it also didn't help that Enron-funded lobbyists wrote the so-called deregulation legislation and lobbied to have it passed.