How are the higher energy cost affecting you?

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I have posted many articles on the energy crisis, but I do not really know how this is impacting the readers of this forum. It would be great to hear from the readers how much the costs have gone up in the past month or so.

Thanks

Martin

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), December 18, 2000

Answers

Mesa, AZ - So far, virtually not at all. No layoffs due to high energy costs but then here in the desert our energy costs are minimal during the winter. I don't turn on the heat at all and it hasn't gotten cold enough to use an electric blanket. I don't understand the state of Washington though. It has ALWAYS been a leader in low cost energy because of the abundance of cheap hydro power. What the hell happened to all of it?

-- Guy Daley (guydaley@altavista.com), December 19, 2000.

We work with low income people and network with other groups doing the same. We are all having increased requests for assistance with utilities this year, and also requests for food are way up over last year. Note that many of the people we see are the working poor -- people making less than $7/hour, even if they are working full time.

My hypothesis is that groceries are one of the few areas in their budgets with any wiggle room, so as the price of energy has increased (first gasoline, and now natural gas and electricity), they have had no place to go but their food budgets. If they are the working poor, they won't be getting much in the way of foodstamps, so their only place to go is the emergency food system. Demand is up while supply isn't. Our local foodbank has actually cut allocations to some groups in order to spread out supplies.

I know of people who are turning their heat completely off at night to save money. And there are increasing numbers of people relying on alternative heating, because they have lost either their natural gas, electriity, or both.

We are also finding a lot of interest in our printable flyer on saving money on energy in the winter -- html or pdf . They are being circulated by a number of different agencies and folks around the country.

I'm sorry to say that based on my reading of the current situation, I am afraid that this is the winter this nation really begins to leave some people behind for the wolves to devour. Yes, I think things are getting that bad.

-- robert waldrop (rmwj@soonernet.com), December 19, 2000.


Martin- Here in Western NM we started changing to alternative energy about a year ago- first pellet stove and solar water pump, then switched electricity to solar, now in the process of solarizing water heater as well, and using propane and utility only as a backup. We figured this was coming and minimized many other expenses in order to be able to afford the change. Hate to think of what happens to people in California who don't have this option. Thank you for all your great work! Swissrose.

-- Swissrose (cellier@@azstarnet.com), December 19, 2000.

Martin sure appreciate the posts. I spent the last few years fine tuning my outdoor "wood heat" boiler". It's been time well spent i can tell you.

-- Kevin (ktross@mailcity.com), December 19, 2000.

Martin, here in Maine the aroma of wood smoke on the winter wind is far more common this year than it has been in at least ten years. You've already posted the article about the FERC-ordered increase in power rates here. That comes on top of utility requests for rate hikes due to higher natgas and oil prices. A couple of major dot.coms in southern Maine are on the ropes. A large lumber mill in northern Maine just closed because demand is down and cost of operations is soaring. Food banks and soup kitchens are busier than ever. Local businesses, such as mine, are now "adopting" individual poor families to help support with food and Christmas presents.

Social service agencies and state aid offices are being overwhelmed with requests for help -- to the point where they might have to start picking and choosing who they help just to make the available funds last. State government is resurrecting its old Energy Office and promoting conservation. And everyone -- and I mean EVERYONE -- is nervous about the coming year. Recession is the major fear, altho I've heard a few people say the D word.

At the personal level, I'm a little louder about turning off unneeded lights and appliances. (Teenagers have serious hearing problems, you know.) The wood stove gets used every weekend, when someone is home to tend it. The thermostat is at the bottom of the dial, and I'm adding more insulation in the attic. And we are cutting back expenses in other areas -- not eating out as much, shopping around for car care (you wouldn't believe the difference in prices!), and getting really excited about the bargains at Goodwill. Oh yes, it's having an effect.

-- Cash (cash@andcarry.com), December 19, 2000.



Hi Martin,

Being off the grid, I have no idea what the
electric rates are doing, but the cost of
gasoline has impacted the use of my generator.

Prices just dropped about 20¢ a gallon. That
helped a lot.

Need to get more solar panels!

-- spider (spider0@usa.net), December 19, 2000.


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