Winter has made a comeback after a long spell of above-average temps which we are grateful for with the much higher-than-average electric rates thanks to the present administration's energy policies. Sorry about the political jab, but this is crazy. Last year I could get electricity rates for $05.5 cents per kilowatt hour, now it is 11 cents per kWh.
@ankers70 - I knew fuel prices were I wasn't aware that the price of generating electricity was. But with all the tree huggers trying to shut down the coal fired plants and stop the construction of new atomic plants that doesn't leave much as "clean energy" like wind and solar can't not produce the vast quantity of electric to meet the world's needs.
@gardencat _ I have heard numerous people say that, but I have yet to have anyone tell me that they have turned down their thermostats in the winter or up in the summer months to reduce usage.
I still see a lot of pickup trucks and large SUVs on the road. So a lot of people haven't felt the pinch yet. Auto manufacturers have pretty much stopped making small fuel-efficient vehicles because the demand isn't there.
Then we have all the uppity-ups that fly to Switzerland for their big summit, putting down the common folk like you and me, for using so much energy. Word is that 1,000 aircraft flew said uppity-ups to Switzerland. I heard one person explain it this way. Just one aircraft taken on this one round trip made more of a carbon footprint than any one person like you and me can make in a lifetime. So, my question is this. If electricity could be purchased for as low as $05.5 cents per kWh in the last few years, why is it so much costlier today? What has driven the prices up? The inflation you might say. Then why was inflation so much lower 3 to 6 years ago? I might guess, a drastic change in energy policies.
@skipt07 Maybe you are hanging out with the wrong people. I know some people who live in the US and do care, are driving hybrid vehicles and turning down their thermostats. Maybe the reason you still see all the big pickups and SUVs is because prices have not been high enough to make them feel the pinch. Maybe energy policies need to be such that using excessive energy is discouraged by higher prices. Maybe the extra money generated should be funnelled into making the renewable energy sources more viable to provide the vast amounts of energy that are needed rather than just keeping on with cheap prices for dirty energy. Of course the uppity-ups, as you call them, are expending much more energy than the common folk they are all probably eating more expensive meat heavy diets too. They use more than their fair share everywhere, in every way, not just energy. Seems you may need an administration that is willing to tax the highest levels of uppity-ups to provide more funds to help the common people. I seem to remember some American politicians suggesting something just like that but then so many of the common folk decided to call that 'socialism'.
@gardencat - You will never up taxes on the wealthy because they know the tax laws and have a bunch of tax lawyers who know the laws and know how to protect their money.
The only way you will ever get to their money is to do away with the current tax laws and have a flat tax. Period! And I don't see that coming soon! When Congress, for the most part, is on the take from lobbyists.
I resent you accusing me of "hanging out with the wrong people." I made that statement based on the vehicles I have observed on the road, in parking lots, and at gas stations.
So we need to agree to disagree.
@skipt07 Based on your comment that you haven’t had anyone tell you that they have turned down their thermostat in the winter…it sounded to me as if people that you knew and were talking to (hence maybe hanging out with) were not people who were taking steps to reduce their energy use. I do agree with you that congress is a mess but then what can you expect when you have delusional idiots and congenital liars as elected members of congress.
If it's any comfort, energy prices are high all over the world.
I still see a lot of pickup trucks and large SUVs on the road. So a lot of people haven't felt the pinch yet. Auto manufacturers have pretty much stopped making small fuel-efficient vehicles because the demand isn't there.
Then we have all the uppity-ups that fly to Switzerland for their big summit, putting down the common folk like you and me, for using so much energy. Word is that 1,000 aircraft flew said uppity-ups to Switzerland. I heard one person explain it this way. Just one aircraft taken on this one round trip made more of a carbon footprint than any one person like you and me can make in a lifetime. So, my question is this. If electricity could be purchased for as low as $05.5 cents per kWh in the last few years, why is it so much costlier today? What has driven the prices up? The inflation you might say. Then why was inflation so much lower 3 to 6 years ago? I might guess, a drastic change in energy policies.
The only way you will ever get to their money is to do away with the current tax laws and have a flat tax. Period! And I don't see that coming soon! When Congress, for the most part, is on the take from lobbyists.
I resent you accusing me of "hanging out with the wrong people." I made that statement based on the vehicles I have observed on the road, in parking lots, and at gas stations.
So we need to agree to disagree.