Anxiety about staying warm this winter spreads

On the heels of record bonuses given last year, our utility announced increase electric prices for the summer and then announced major increases for the gas this winter.

I suspect we will hear about even HIGHER bonuses this year.

 

I know I am scared!!!

 

One reason electric bills are going up is Peabody Energy is exporting coal to China , raising prices and making supplies tight for U.S. power plants .

 

I think that I am going to change my requirements rather than wait for someone to make deals with another oil supplier. For instance, I am planning on moving more to the sunbelt area. I am planning on buying a much smaller house that is super insulated, and has a greenhouse wall. I was in a house like this once, and the house remained warm all winter and had only a small woodburning stove the size of a shoe-box for ultra cold days. (There were also no real problems cooling it in the summer.) My view might be unusual, but I think that house size and design is to blame for many heating problems. Look at the huge 2000 square foot houses that they have been building lately. The look nice, but they are energy hogs. Houses used to be much smaller unless you were wealthy.

 

You don't have the price hungry utility we have either. My place is only about 1100 square foot. It is very energy efficient and the bills keep going higher while the usage goes lower.

 

It is possible. I know the city utility in Springfield gets the coal from a mine 25 miles away. I will have to see, but I believe most of ours is local as well.