Another gas bill rant and a question.

[TNDemo]

Just opened up my gas bill and am boiling again. I compared this with the bill from last March. The same amount of therms was used but this bill is $125 more than that one. What is the real reason for the increase in gas? Is it only price gouging? Did the hurricanes really do that much to see this kind of increase months later or is that just an excuse? And what the heck can we do? My husband keeps talking about wind power and solar power.

[gizmo1979]

1. If you have the cash

a passive solar heater is great!Plus it's tax deductible.Passive solar goes over your window and are individual units keep them clean and they will work for years.

[RebelOne]

9. Yes, that would be great in the South where we usually

have plenty of sunshine, but what about for those in the North, when in the winter, there is not that much sun to power a solar heater.

[gizmo1979]

10. I think it only needs 30 min

of sunlight,I could be wrong about the time but it's not much.I live in the north and a friend looked at them.

[Dr.Phool]

2. It's the law of supply and demand

You have a supply of money, and the energy companies demand it!:mad: :mad:

[European Socialist]

3. The pukes let the market work it's miracle.

[sinkingfeeling]

4. Well, mine was over $600 for December! That's more than double

last year's and I used 43 less CCF of gas. And our dear state charges 9% sales tax and the gas company gets 3% as a fee, plus $9.40 as a service charge, and then something like 23 cents per CCF for delivery and a 'weather adjustment' of a few more cents.

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. Ours was almost as much as our house payment

This is getting ridiculous. How do the working poor pay these kind of bills?

[TheDebbieDee]

7. I opened my gas bill from Missouri Gas & Energy......

last Saturday after intentionally and fearfully leaving it unopened for several days. It was for just over $400 for a very mild December. I've been keeping my thermostat at 65 degrees and the kids and I are always bundled up and wearing sweaters.

I feel as though I'm being mugged!

[megatherium]

6. North American production of natural gas has reached its peak.

But demand has increased in the last two decades because the electric utilities saw natural gas as an inexpensive and clean fuel for generating electricity. So what's happening now is unfortunately just supply and demand.

We don't import much natural gas (it has to be liquified in put into tankers, but safety concerns have limited imports).

[leftofthedial]

8. quit whining. this is an ownership society

if you aren't part of ownership, it's just too damned bad. Turn off your furnace if you can't pay for the heat. It's not your natural gas. What do you want? A handout? The economy is great! Get another job to pay for your heat, you miserable free-loading whining commie!

and don't go messing with our sun or wind either, you liberal!

[salin]

11. my bill is up 150% from this time a year ago.

what is so sad is that under Carter there was a huge push (and govt investment in r&d) for the development of alternate energy sources. By the time I moved to DC in late 1984 - the fledgling industries were folding up shop as they were completely cash deprived, Reagan helped folks forget about the energy crisis and paved dreams of limitless cheap energy.

Imagine had the investment continued for the past thirty years. Sadly, for now, we are hostages of the results of foolish public and corporate policies.

I can absorb the costs right now (cuts into savings) but for much of my working life - this much of a monthly increase in expenses would have been more than challenging.