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Are you concerned about heating costs this winter?
Asked at Massachusetts Street on September 27, 2007
“We have all electric utilities, but our unit isn’t that efficient. So I am concerned about how much it’s going to set us back. It’s the same problem in a different way.”
“Yeah, but that’s because I bought a house that’s too big, old and poorly insulated. So it’s my own fault.”
“I’m not concerned, but I realize that it’s going to go up. I might have to burn more wood this year, but that’s one of the reasons I’m not that concerned.”
“I’m concerned every year. It’s the same situation as gasoline prices; the price of natural gas just seems to be rising continually.”
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27 September 2007
at 1:33 a.m.
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sgtwolverine (Anonymous) says…
I'm not going to heat costs this winter! That would be a waste. Costs can heat themselves.
27 September 2007
at 6:55 a.m.
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ohjayhawk (Anonymous) says…
We started paying the budget amount a few months back. I'd rather pay a bit more through the summer months than have to pay $250-$300/month during the winter.
Wow, sgt, you were up late/early today!
27 September 2007
at 7:05 a.m.
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RETICENT_IRREVERENT (Anonymous) says…
How many Btu's does a hymnal produce when burned?
(The library has those alarm thing-a-ma-jiggys)
27 September 2007
at 7:10 a.m.
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snap_pop_no_crackle (Anonymous) says…
I'm more worried about the snake-headed reptoids.
27 September 2007
at 7:14 a.m.
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RETICENT_IRREVERENT (Anonymous) says…
snap,
The 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver?
27 September 2007
at 8:17 a.m.
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trinity (Anonymous) says…
yeah. maybe i can breathe a sigh of relief when i finish paying off LAST year's heating(gas)bill!
27 September 2007
at 8:29 a.m.
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salad (Anonymous) says…
sgt. Wolverine, FTW!!!
27 September 2007
at 8:41 a.m.
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The_Original_Bob (Anonymous) says…
Nope. The money we blew on AC will be shifted towards heating. Going to enjoy the next couple of months of open windows.
27 September 2007
at 9:05 a.m.
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snap_pop_no_crackle (Anonymous) says…
How many BTUs in a carbon credit?
27 September 2007
at 9:08 a.m.
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The_Original_Bob (Anonymous) says…
Snap -
Depends on which carbon credit company dupes you into buying one. An unregulated and dishonest industry usually is the result of no consistent standards.
27 September 2007
at 9:54 a.m.
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snake_eyes (Anonymous) says…
Do we really have to read this same story every Fall? I swear the LJWorld probably just takes the same article from last year, makes a few changes, lists a new writer, and BAM!, you've got yourself another story about heating costs for the winter. Good grief, it's going to be a rough winter people. It may cost $1 billion dollars to heat your house!!!!!!!! Give me a break
27 September 2007
at 10:11 a.m.
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Unix_Admin (Anonymous) says…
Open windows!!
27 September 2007
at 10:13 a.m.
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Unix_Admin (Anonymous) says…
Accually, Open source is better - Linux is nice.
27 September 2007
at 10:24 a.m.
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RETICENT_IRREVERENT (Anonymous) says…
T_O_B,
Are you saying the Chicago Climate Exchange is just a farce?
I have been working to reduce my personal carbon footprint.
I no longer just traipse through the remnants of my burn pile willy-nilly.
27 September 2007
at 10:45 a.m.
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sunflower_sue (Anonymous) says…
Heating is way cheaper than cooling, so no, I'm not all that concerned. Of course, my house is generally freezing except directly in front of the fireplace.
RI, stop burning those old hymnals! I have lots of dead trees you can have at.
27 September 2007
at 10:48 a.m.
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The_Original_Bob (Anonymous) says…
R_I -
I am actually trying to increase my carbon footprint. I capture all my used carbon and put it in mason jars and seal them tight. I figure it may have some sort of resale value.
27 September 2007
at 10:51 a.m.
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sgtwolverine (Anonymous) says…
Ohjay, I'm usually up late these days. I am a night person, and now that I work for myself rather than at an early-morning job, I get to behave as a night person; very few (almost none) of my jobs occur in the morning. I was actually up a little later than normal last night, but I am usually up late.
I've been on the internet for over a decade now, but I have to admit: I'm not sure what FTW means. Can I get a translation?
27 September 2007
at 11:10 a.m.
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average (Anonymous) says…
We spend a whole lot more on heating than cooling. We only A/C one small room, and turn it off when we're gone. Can't do either in cold weather, lest the pipes freeze.
Hoping to move to a place where wood-burning is an option in a couple years.
27 September 2007
at 12:12 p.m.
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RETICENT_IRREVERENT (Anonymous) says…
T_O_B,
Look at the chart baby..
http://www.chicagoclimatex.com/charts…
Carbon in this sense really only has value if it is not created in the first place.
Just how many mason jars do you have?
@ Barely above $3.00/m.ton, just mason jars are costing alot more than the value of captured carbon. If new, they have their own carbon footprint from production and shipping. That truck of yours puts out roughly 10 m.tons of carbon per year… $30 at the current market value. You are creating a bigger footprint by storing your carbon hillbilly style, than you are personally leaving. So unless you can assign an intrinsic collectors value, or think the altruistic ideal of storing your own carbon has value, ride your bicycle to work, and watch which legumes you eat. Oh and try and not exert your self while pumping those pedals, that exponentially increases your personal carbon footprint.
27 September 2007
at 12:18 p.m.
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sister (Anonymous) says…
Foot and toe warts?
Falling toward water?
Fixed to win?
Failure to wash?
Find the word?
eff the world?
27 September 2007
at 12:36 p.m.
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The_Original_Bob (Anonymous) says…
“Carbon in this sense really only has value if it is not created in the first place.” RI
Whoa. So what you're telling me is that carbon credits are a farce? Well, pull me up a chair. These damn get rich quick schemes I come up with just never work. What am I going to do with 11,000 cases of mason jars now?
27 September 2007
at 12:57 p.m.
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prospector (Anonymous) says…
Nope, there are bigger concerns.
Free the Whales?
27 September 2007
at 1:06 p.m.
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sunflower_sue (Anonymous) says…
Find the wine?
Foul the waters?
Finish the weed?
Forego the waffles?
French the waiter?
Forestall the weasel?
27 September 2007
at 1:17 p.m.
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RETICENT_IRREVERENT (Anonymous) says…
“What am I going to do with 11,000 cases of mason jars now?” T_O_B.
Buy a fleet of Subaru Impreza WRX STIs and start your own ethanol production plant?
.
The true farce of Carbon credits will become apparent when the Peoples State of America finally succeeds in quashing all industry, leaving the GDP dependent only on “perceived” value, rather than intrinsic value.
27 September 2007
at 1:17 p.m.
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trinity (Anonymous) says…
flop the wick?
27 September 2007
at 1:18 p.m.
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trinity (Anonymous) says…
flog the weirdo?
somebody best answer this quick…my mind is a'wanderin'.
27 September 2007
at 1:25 p.m.
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KawValleyKid (Nick Yoho) says…
FTW = F*ck The World sarge.what context that had here,I'm not sure.
I'm a bit concerned about heating costs.I am getting ready to go all electric.The $16 per month I pay the Gas company(for line &meter maintenance ) just to HAVE gas is more than the $12 per month I pay for the gas I use(in the non- heat seasons).Thus,I feel,that wasted $16 per month(x12=$192) could buy most of the heat I need.I also intend to heat one room to comfort level,while keeping the less used areas of my home much cooler.I'll keep my pipes from freezing,but I won't have to pay to heat the whole house when I stay mostly in one room.I expect significant savings from switching to “on demand”hot water,rather than heating 60 gallons of it 24 hours per day.dishes showers and laundry don't require hot water 24/7.
I agree carbon trading in a sham.It's the only way the Corporatist could figure to make money off the serious problem of human caused climate change.It also lets people off the hook for the guilt they might feel for not being willing to actually CHANGE their lifestyles in any meaningful way,to help curb the problem.
27 September 2007
at 1:39 p.m.
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prospector (Anonymous) says…
For the Win, from the Urban Dictionary.
27 September 2007
at 1:49 p.m.
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tangential_reasoners_anonymous (Anonymous) says…
Winter, Spring, Summer, or Faaaaall,
Seems I have to pay them aaaaall…
27 September 2007
at 2:20 p.m.
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sunflower_sue (Anonymous) says…
“Heating is way cheaper than cooling, so no, I'm not all that concerned. Of course, my house is generally freezing except directly in front of the fireplace.”
I have to recant! After scanning my bills from last winter, I spent more to heat certain rooms of my all electric house (with fireplace going non-stop) than to cool every room. I spent $90 more in Feb of this year than I have yet to do this summer. Most months, though, the bill is pretty constant. Now I have to apply my brain and think about what happened last Feb…probably just normal KS weather with a kid cranking the thermostat in their room. (Must put locks on those things!)
27 September 2007
at 2:29 p.m.
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daddax98 (Anonymous) says…
maybe the letters were transposed and they meant “Way To Funny” or “What The F*ck”
27 September 2007
at 2:45 p.m.
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Pywacket (Anonymous) says…
Well, heating IS way cheaper than cooling for us. We have natural gas heating, dryer, water heater, and stove, and the cost of gas during the months of highest use never begins to approach the cost of electric during the months of AC use. Not to mention, summers here are much longer than winters. And winters are typically extremely mild, in my book.
We have an insert in one of our fireplaces and that thing will heat the entire house (~3000 sq ft) if we have enough wood and the time to keep on stokin'. We have done that in the past. Mostly, though, we just burn wood for the ambiance.
If you do have your own woodlot, it probably is cost effective to get an insert—I can't venture a guess as to how long it would take to pay for itself (and, of course, if you have to buy wood, that has to go into the calculations), but it does make a fireplace much more efficient. Most “decorative” fireplaces actually result in heat loss, as you probably already know.
To find one, I'd start by calling brick/masonry contractors, or if you know any reliable builders, ask them who they use for new construction.
27 September 2007
at 2:48 p.m.
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concernedparent (Anonymous) says…
no, we just built a new house and used high efficiency units. We left our AC on 72 all summer and the most our electric bill was was 112 dollars.
27 September 2007
at 2:53 p.m.
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KawValleyKid (Nick Yoho) says…
Wow pywacket you pay more for AC? maybe you better get your unit serviced.My high(elec.) bill this summer was $67 I think.I use two window units-sparingly.Heat seems to cost much more.Maybe because the H O O T(homeowners out of tenants) program forced me to move my furnace to the attic.Well,with electric heat placed where I Need it,I can just seal off the old system!
27 September 2007
at 3:16 p.m.
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matahari (Anonymous) says…
I live in a small place, so I turn off the furnace and run those little electric heaters that look like the old fashioned water heaters, but I guess they are filled the hot oil. The heat is nice and comfy (I use two and on a really cold night may run three) I don't get blasted by that dry air heat from a furnace and those little heaters have saved me a bunch.
They only raised my electric bill by about $15 a month, and I find them at yard sales throughout the summer, but have priced them at the hardware stores, and they are about $40
27 September 2007
at 3:48 p.m.
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tangential_reasoners_anonymous (Anonymous) says…
matahari says: “I… run those little electric heaters that look like the old fashioned water heaters, but I guess they are filled the hot oil.”
Beware, matahari, I used to swear by those little oil-filled heaters, until the afternoon I watched one “snap, pop” (no crackle) and eject a little flaming ember from the control panel onto the carpet. If I hadn't been there to extinguish it, this could be a much different story….
27 September 2007
at 3:53 p.m.
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concernedparent (Anonymous) says…
Yes those little electric heaters are VERY dangerous.
27 September 2007
at 4:35 p.m.
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tangential_reasoners_anonymous (Anonymous) says…
Lord I love winter!
27 September 2007
at 4:55 p.m.
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GretchenJP (Anonymous) says…
sgtwolverine and everyone, I'm thinking “FTW” is simply “WTF” backwards. I'm assuming you know what that sounds for. ;o) As for heating costs this winter, I'm not worried. We live in a small house and like to utilize our space heaters instead of turning the heat way up. Also I prefer to be cool… I love bundling up.
27 September 2007
at 6:40 p.m.
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lakings1 (Anonymous) says…
I was thrilled with the last couple of Lawrence winters. I had a studio apartment with an electric heater/cooler embedded in the wall. My winter bills were generally significantly less (sometimes by as much as a third) than my summer bills due to a good location. My neighbors' heaters kept me warm and the trees in the front and back of the apartment kept the wind at bay.
Now I'm living in a studio with electric heating and cooling in Chicago. I ran my AC for two days this summer when the humidity was extremely high. I imagine that I'll have to have the heater going full blast most of the winter. I'm not looking forward to that bill, but I'd much rather be cold than hot.
27 September 2007
at 6:41 p.m.
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lakings1 (Anonymous) says…
Sorry to double post.
FTW is, like an earlier poster commented, For The Win. It's very common elsewhere on the Internet, just as common as LOL.
27 September 2007
at 7:07 p.m.
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Pywacket (Anonymous) says…
Kawvalleykid~ You're probably right—our 2 AC units (we have zoned H/C, and program upstairs/downstairs independently) probably should have been serviced this spring.. We're horrible procrastinators.
Do you have the same size house? That would help with comparison. Our highest electric for the year was $260. Another factor is that we're not in Lawrence and do pay a higher rate. For its size, the house is fairly efficient. The insulation is above grade, the windows all double paned, etc.
27 September 2007
at 7:45 p.m.
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riverdrifter (Anonymous) says…
Two tons of wood pellet fuel on hand, bought 16 months ago, not worried -for now.
Year from now: worried.
27 September 2007
at 9:37 p.m.
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sgtwolverine (Anonymous) says…
The backwards WTF thing actually did occur to me, but it seemed odd that it wasn't followed by a question mark, so I figured that wasn't the case.
At least now I know what FTW is. I can honestly say I've never run across that one before; maybe I don't frequent the right corners of the internet.
27 September 2007
at 9:53 p.m.
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GretchenJP (Anonymous) says…
I actually haven't heard of FTW either and I thought I knew most of the internet acronyms.
27 September 2007
at 10:32 p.m.
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snowWI (Anonymous) says…
I am definitely looking forward to winter.
Anything is better than the horrible combination of the heat and humidity.
27 September 2007
at 11:52 p.m.
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GretchenJP (Anonymous) says…
I'm with you, snow. I'd rather be cold than hot.
28 September 2007
at 9:13 a.m.
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adriennerm (Anonymous) says…
I am not worried, just buy a nice thick blanket
28 September 2007
at 12:05 p.m.
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OTSSweeper (Anonymous) says…
No, I'm going to move in with Al Gore
28 September 2007
at 5:09 p.m.
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tangential_reasoners_anonymous (Anonymous) says…
… moving back home with the folks?
29 September 2007
at 12:06 a.m.
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matahari (Anonymous) says…
apathy is a dish that's always served cold….no, no ones' 'concerned' because they haven't really been cold yet. Get back with us when your heat gets turned off because no one can afford to pay it. Then the concern comes, always too late.
29 September 2007
at 3:44 a.m.
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camper (Anonymous) says…
No joking, those who have have to worry about heat bills are in a bad situation. I'm worried about those who don't have to worry about heat bills because they have no heat bills. I wonder sometimes how those who are homeless make it through terriible exposure. God bless them. And may we help when possible.