the price of gas going up, up, up...some crude facts....

[kayakrguy]

I wondered how much gasoline a barrel of crude oil would make

I found the answer to the question on the web site of the American
Petroleum Institute. Here is the URL and what they say: Note that the list is what comes from ONE barrel of crude. Think of what the price of the finished products are compared to the price of a barrel of oil--

http://www.api.org/edu/factsoil.htm#barrel

What A Barrel Of Crude Oil Makes

Product Gallons per barrel

gasoline 19.5
distillate fuel oil 9.2
(Includes both home heating oil and diesel fuel)
kerosene-type jet fuel 4.1
residual fuel oil
(Heavy oils used as fuels in industry, marine transportation and for
electric power generation) 2.3
liquefied refinery gasses 1.9
still gas 1.9
coke 1.8
asphalt and road oil 1.3
petrochemical feedstocks 1.2
lubricants 0.5
kerosene 0.2
other 0.3

Figures are based on 1995 average yields for U.S. refineries. One barrel
contains 42 gallons of crude oil. The total volume of products made is 2.2
gallons greater than the original 42 gallons of crude oil. This
represents "processing gain."

This should be regarded as an average. Crude oils vary widely in their
composition, and different oils will yields wildly differing amounts of
the different products.

[Chuck Craven]

I read some place that it takes .89 units of energy to produce 1.0 unit of energy from alcohol. It takes .65 units of energy to produce 1.0 units of energy for virgin bio diesel.
No wonder we are using hydrocarbon (crud oil). It will up front cost $50.000 for solar equipment to run your home off of the power grid. How many years will it take you to recover that cost? Then how about the maintenance of that system, how many more years to recover that cost?
Several years ago it was estimated that half the lands in the US whould have to be used for wind generators to power the east cost of the US. The rest of the US would have to find some other form of energy. The rest of the lands do not produce enough wind to run a wind generator. Plus the generators blades would kill most of the migrating birds the environment impact would be enormous.

Chuck

[Q]

If everyone in the country would cut energy use by 50% the price of energy would fall through the floor. It's not that hard to do. We just need some leadership.

Q

[halfdome, Danny]

If everyone in the country would cut energy use by 50% the price of energy would fall through the floor. It's not that hard to do. We just need some leadership.

Q

My energy bill is half that of my neighbor and I work at home, so Im doing the 50% less, now I'm waiting for everyone else. I was raised to be cheap with energy use then there is more money for other necessities even teardrops. Danny

[Chuck Craven]

Leadership is phooey! If you want to cut your energy cost by 50% are you willing to junk you $30k + SUV and spend 20k for a more fuel efficient one? How about spending 40k on making your house more efficient with out turning it in to an inside environment hazard? I built my own house, my electric bill is 20 to 25 buck a month and gas bill is under $700 a year. The house is 1600 sq feet. I had one hell of a time in finding property to build it on, as most of the municipalities would not allow that type of house to be built in there community. It didn’t conform to there square box energy useless designs and the union construction can’t figure how to build anything that is not square / ticky-tacky.
You have to change the mindset of entire population of the US to do that. No one leader can ever do that. It takes rising the cost of energy bound what the masses are willing to pay! You hit one of my nerves. I don’t mean to sound negative but I have beaten by politicians and tree huggers that think it can be done but not in my back yard mentality.


Chuck

[Q]

Looks like some of us are doing our part. My house is under 1000 sq ft and has been off grid using solar PV for nearly 20 years. Solar hot water also. My car gets 40 city 50 hwy and I ride a motorbike that gets over 100 weather permitting.

When I do pull my teardrop I have to drive my old Toyota pickup and get just under 30 mpg. My flying machine uses the most gas, 2.75 gph.

Q

[kayakrguy]

The following offers some insight....

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/30/busin ... ref=slogin

[Chuck Craven]

This is a picture of my house December 1st 2006. We got 15” of wet heavy snow and a 75 MPH winds. It has a 21 foot high cathedral sealing, 1600 Sq feet, R40 insulation everywhere and it has 33% less surface area than a square box house. There are no flat walls toward the prevailing winds, which makes it 50% more efficient than if it was square. My SUV gets 22 MPG and it is a true 4X4. I have to have it as twice this year they shut down the county because of blizzard condition. It is the only vehicle I own. Since I have to drive 25 miles one way to work because the county I work in will not allow dome construction do to the construction unions have the county government locked up.
I did some experimenting with basic solar heating but with the winters here, we only get 10% sunny days from November to April, not enough to even supplement conventional heating. I even look in to wind generators but the power company will only bye back 30% of what they charge for electricity. The maintenance of the equipment is your responsibility. So that is not economically viable. Plus the liability insurance is supper high. If you want a shock go to a large town and sit at the corner and count the empty pick-up trucks with just one person in it.
Ford, Chevy and Dodge there biggest sellers are full size pick-ups. How can that be stopped it this country? The only way is $10 a gallon gas. And some day soon it will happen.

Chuck
[/img]

[kayakrguy]

Chuck,

Thanks for the primer on energy saving construction! What SUV are you driving?Jim

[Leon]

I like your house, but I can't justify tearing mine down to replace it with a more efficient design.

As far as pickups, why did Chevy stop production on the S10? I get 22 MPG with it and it hauls most of the stuff I have to carry. If I had to replace it I'd have to buy a bigger unit because they don't make it anymore.

[Chuck Craven]

Toyota 4 runner 6 cylinder.
Nice putput!

Chuck

[kayakrguy]

Chuck,

I don't understand why unions would be a problem re: dome construction...??? Mind you, I think management and unions can BOTH make blindingly shortsighted decisions--ditto boards of directors and corporate raiders. But I cannot understand what would be involved in building dome roof that would not be involved in building a traditional roof? Heck, your roof/walls look like a cross between mansard and geodesic dome construction....can you clari9fy?

Jim

[Chuck Craven]

Yes Leon!
But there are things that can be done to lower your energy bills, from compact lights, to when your hot water heater goes out replace it with a direct vent on demand type. If you use your head you can cut down the air conditioning cost be 1/3 each year. My house does not have an AC at all. I have lived in it for 17 years and never have missed it. But with an open concept construction I can drop the temp of the house in one hour, at night, to the outside temp. There are lots of little things that can cut the cost of energy besides design. Many are just common sense things replacing old energy hogs before they go dead.

Chuck

[Chuck Craven]

Jim it is better now but still very hard to do. Most municipalities want contractors to do every thing. The owner in many cases is not allowed to be a general contractor. Some of the lager cities will not even allow the owner to replace a damaged outlet. It has to be done by a certified electrician. But how can they enforce that I don’t know? I am a state certified electrician both residential / industrial. Still some municipalities will not let me work on my own wiring, I have to be registered with them. The cost to register only can be done if you are in that biasness full time. The system is just to tied up and political.

Chuck

[Arne]

Chuck, I get a negative feeling when I drive by our schools... one story, lots of glass, horizontal spread, lots of 'wings'... seems like no one cared what it cost to heat and cool them....

In New England, we do what we can... shut down rooms, plastic over the windows in the winter, insulated draps, etc.....

R40 just sounds sooo good..