Oil Futures hit $100 a Barrel for the First Time Ever

[Jim540]

Caseydog, good ideas about conservation in our homes. In our house I installed a 92% furnace and a high SEER AC unit, double pane thermal windows, insulated doors, insulated garage doors and reinsulated the attic. Around the house I planted large oak trees for shade and protection from wind. You are correct when you say there are a lot of things we can do to conserve energy.

[caseydog]

Caseydog, good ideas about conservation in our homes. In our house I installed a 92% furnace and a high SEER AC unit, double pane thermal windows, insulated doors, insulated garage doors and reinsulated the attic. Around the house I planted large oak trees for shade and protection from wind. You are correct when you say there are a lot of things we can do to conserve energy.

I wish I could afford to make all those changes now, but I'll have to wait until things need replacing to make those upgrades. My builder's grade water heater is going to be the first to die, and I'll pay the extra dollars to go high efficiency on that.

I wanted to go high-efficiency when I built the house, but the builder wouldn't let me pick my HVAC components. I did increase the insulation, and went to great lengths to seal up air leaks during construction, though.

A few years ago, my city passed regulations requiring all new construction to meet energy-star criteria. I don't know how well that is going. Doing the right thing, badly, doesn't necessarily achieve the desired results.

My current car is not bad on gas -- 18 city, 24 hwy -- but when the time comes to replace it, I plan to go with a more efficient one. Hopefully, more turbo-diesel models will be on the market by then.

I'm not a "tree-hugger," either. I just don't want oil to "own" me, if that makes sense.

[Jim540]

We did those changes a little at a time. It is amazing to see how much difference each change makes. We have lived in this house for close to 30 years so we have had time to make the changes as they were needed. My truck will get around 17 to 18 MPG during cold weather and 18 to 19 in the warm weather, this is back and forth to work and around town. When I brought the truck back from Texas it got 23 MPG straight hiway. I don't think that is to bad for a full size pick-up.

[jeep_bluetj]

All non-fossil alternatives need to be heavily explored.

But the #1 best option for grid power generation right now is nukes. I live out here on the shakey side, 10 miles away from a nuke plant. Don't mind one bit. Much rather live next door to a nuke plant than a chemical factory. (Both have some bad history to them... But non-soviet nukes are mobetta, fertilizer factories are about the same in India or West Virgina....)

Conservation is good, necessary, and hapening every day in the US solely due to energy costs. I use CF bulbs not to save the planet ('cause they won't) but to save $$$. I have timers on lights, low power computers, etc, etc, etc.. Ford can't give away an expedition, Toyota gets above sticker on a prius. People ARE conserving. But conservation alone will not be massive % of usage without major impact to lifestyle or industriy. Simple example: It takes a buttload of power to make AL. So, to conserve do we not use AL (airplanes, teardrops, etc...). Or do we realize that modern society requires massive amounts of energy and come up with a safe, clean, method to generate it. Or, do we export all AL manufacturing to China or India. (Which is what we did with steel, TV's, etc...)

I personally don't want to live in a cave. I want hot water. Heat. Mind-numbing hi-def trash to watch. A button in my kitchen that makes cold things hot. A box that makes hot things cold. A way to get to the Home Depot that isn't my feet or bicycle. (Interesting tidbit, I take public transportation to work. But to do that here in SoCal requires me to have TWO cars. One for each local end of the trip...)

Nobody disagrees that continued depedance on oil is bad, but we need to invest and switch. And it's happening. $100 bbl is just gonna make it happen faster. Grid power has solar, wind, nuke options. Transportiation options will tend towards diesel, dieselelectric, electric. 'Yurp is a good indicator of where the states should trend to.

(Oh, and my humble opinion of why oil is $100 bbl is because somebody will pay that much for it... Even OPEC can't skew the market too much because there's too many independant producers)

[Fenlason]

There is much we can do for conservation. If "we" had done more during the oil embargo of the 70's. We might not be where we are today.

There are things we can do as individuals.. some is beyond us[individually]. When purchasing a new vehicle to.. at least consider what the gas mileage is.. is something we can do as individuals. The way I see most new house construction done is pathetic.

My current house.. is something my wife and I build ourselves. Right now it is about 4 degrees out and very windy. I had a small wood fire yesterday evening... nothing since... It is still 68 in here.

One thing I don't really understand is why cars are not being made that get better mileage. How come cars like the smart car.. only gets 44 miles per gallon.

My 76 Subaru got 40. That was how many years ago???

With some modifications, I was able to increase that to 60mpg... and I am just a bicycle mechanic...
I don't see cars like the Prious as any great salvation.. I see it more as a place for Toyota to make some money.. there is huge profit built into them.

glenn

[caseydog]

My current house.. is something my wife and I build ourselves. Right now it is about 4 degrees out and very windy. I had a small wood fire yesterday evening... nothing since... It is still 68 in here.

When I had my previous house built, I was appalled at the build quality "under the skin." Sure, the place looked pretty, but I didn't supervise the builder well enough, and the building inspectors didn't do their jobs,either.

That house leaked like a sieve. When a cold wind blew from the north, I could feel drafts from all the electrical outlets. I found a large area of the attic that they never bothered to insulate.

And the worst part is, i went around to a lot of other construction sites to see if my house was just a bad one, and they were all built to waste massive amounts of energy. They were all slapped together.

On my current home, I was a the site every single day, and drove the builder nuts. I even brought my tools and fixed some sloppy workmanship myself. This house has zero drafts, no matter how windy. But, it still is not close to being as efficient as it could be.

My next one, though... Oh, yeah.

[Fenlason]

CD..your a car guy... how come they "can't" build cars that get better mileage?

glenn

[Classic Finn]

Let me ask you.. why so? - Quote (But non-soviet nukes are mobetta)

Does modern mean better? Non Soviet or not.

Take a geiger counter near a nuclear plant..tell me what you get for readings..close range and far..

There has never been problems with Non Soviet Nuclear plants? Thats Western Propaganda (Non Soviet).

I dont believe one bit that living near a nuke plant is safe even though they say so. Western Governments will deceive us just as crookedly as anyone else in the East.

Nuclear waste is being stored where? Non Soviet or Not? but its encased in cement .. it cant leak...Nope.. Lets bury it inside Mountain Sides, or into the Desert.. Can hurt.. Into the Oceans..


Yup Mobetta.

Classic Finn

[caseydog]

CD..your a car guy... how come they "can't" build cars that get better mileage?

glenn

Well, because the American people want a lot of things, but in the past, fuel economy has not been one of them.

What we have wanted is BIG, and then BIG.

We wanted soft rides, quite cabins, lot's of accessories. But, fuel economy -- not so much.

And, the automakers gave us what we wanted.

Cars were actually gaining efficiency year after year until the SUV boom hit.

Weight and wind resistance are the enemy on the SUVs. Even the smaller SUVs have often been shaped in a way that makes them highly wind resistant.

I believe it is absolutely possible to build a roomy, comfortable vehicle that is safe, has the conveniences that we want, and still gets 30 MPG. And, with fuel prices going up, the company that delivers that vehicle to American market could make a ton of money with it.

I hope that money won't, once again, go to Japanese and European automakers. It would be awesome if this "breakthrough" product were to come out of Detroit.

Bottom line -- if we demand it, someone will build it.

[caseydog]

BTW, in Yurp, the car I drive right now is offered with a choice of two gasoline engines, and 2 turbo-diesel engines. I'd love to have that choice here. And, i think that is coming, both from overseas, and from Detroit.

I'd like to see Detroit win this race, for a change.

CD

[Classic Finn]

The Japanese and European Auto Makers will go on just like Detroit. China aaasoooo.

Classic Finn

[toypusher]

Any of you guys watch that show called "Future Cars"?? Some very interesing stuff on that show. I don't get to see it very often, but have seen some interesting stuff. I think it was on there that someone has developed an extremely light car that has a small engine, but it has lots of excelleration, power, and extreme fuel efficiency. Sorry, I just can't remember much more than that right now.

[Classic Finn]

BTW, in Yurp, the car I drive right now is offered with a choice of two gasoline engines, and 2 turbo-diesel engines. I'd love to have that choice here. And, i think that is coming, both from overseas, and from Detroit.

I'd like to see Detroit win this race, for a change.

CD

Caseydog you dont have that offer in the States?

[Classic Finn]

How many are willing to drive huge cars at 1.50 Euro. Per Litre.

1.50 EUR = 2.21228 USD
Euro United States Dollars
1 EUR = 1.47485 USD 1 USD = 0.678033 EUR

Ok how efficient is that. 8 USD Per Gallon. Where,s my Cadillac?

I hope these oil producing countries will be able to drink their oil when the time comes.

Classic Finn

[caseydog]

BTW, in Yurp, the car I drive right now is offered with a choice of two gasoline engines, and 2 turbo-diesel engines. I'd love to have that choice here. And, i think that is coming, both from overseas, and from Detroit.

I'd like to see Detroit win this race, for a change.

CD

Caseydog you dont have that offer in the States?

Audi does not offer any diesels here right now. Just gasoline.

Right now, the American companies offer diesels in big trucks, and in passenger cars, only Volkswagen and Mercedes offer diesels. Jeep offers a diesel in the Grand Cherokee SUV.

No diesels from the Japanese here, yet.

Only about 5-percent of vehicles sold here last year were diesel. In Yurp, it is about 50-percent, correct?