Nat. Gas Prices Set Record, Pointing to ("mind-boggling") Costly Winter

[DeepModem Mom]

NYT: Natural Gas Prices Set Record, Pointing to Costly Winter
By JAD MOUAWAD
Published: September 29, 2005


Natural gas prices set a new record today, presaging higher heating bills for a majority of Americans this winter as well as soaring costs for industrial manufacturers of such products as plastics and chemicals.

Since the beginning of the summer, the price of natural gas has doubled. But unlike crude oil or gasoline, whose recent gains have been widely felt by most Americans, the surge in natural gas prices, the most popular form of energy for home heating, has so far gone largely unnoticed.

That is about to change as colder weather sets in. A hot summer, which pushed up natural gas consumption by electricity companies and depleted winter stocks, is expected to give way to a cold winter, which will push up residential consumption. Meanwhile, the Gulf Coast, the nation's largest energy hub, has suffered devastating punches from two severe hurricanes.

All these factor have now come together to create a natural gas crisis.

"It's still under most people's radar screen right now," said Carl Neill, an analyst at Risk Management Inc., a natural gas consultant and brokerage firm Chicago. "The public has absolutely no idea how high prices are going to be this year. It's going to be mind-boggling. Price are going to be 50 to 100 percent higher for residential consumers than in previous year."...


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/29/business/29cnd-gas.html?oref=login

[Deja Q]

1. There's precious little that's "mind boggling".

[Dr Batsen D Belfry]

2. We are replacing a drafty front window and door this month

and I am ready to pay for insulation in the attic as well. Thermostat going down to 68. I am already paying $150 a month on the supposed budget plan.

Hopefully the tax break will offset some of the NG bill.

DBDB

[MichiganVote]

3. Here come the 'Elderly and poor found dead for lack of heat' stories

[Cobalt Violet]

4. Followed by the "No one could've seen it coming" stories. n/t

[MichiganVote]

9. With the obligatory "Who's responsible for this?"

Ending with....what else? The Clinton's are at fault.

[Jacobin]

14. Well, Clinton's penis is to blame

will be the consensus among the talking heads

[Ouabache]

23. But of course THAT wouldn't be playing the 'blame game'

nt

[elfin]

5. Replacing draftty back door

and buying a warm snuggly to wear when I am at home. My terrier LOVES cooler temps so am racheting the thermstat downward drastically this winter.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

6. This will be the Winter of Chimp's Discontent.

[HereSince1628]

7. Glad I am not a retailer depending on Holiday sales...

Temperature sunk to the high 30's overnight. We'll already have seen our first heating bill by the holiday shopping kick-off the day after Thanksgiving.

I expect it to be a show stopper.

[Sub Atomic]

on top of that

when the minimum payment amount on credit cards doubles next month, the retailers aren't going to get any business.

[Kingofalldems]

8. Looks like all of America's gonna have to make some crisp decisions

this winter. Like whether to turn the heat on.

[VegasWolf]

10. Think Bush is unpopular now with gas prices? Just wait!!!

:mad:

[BootinUp]

11. Middle America is not gonna take too much more

of this shit. Repukes are gonna wish they took energy issues a little more serious.

[Marthe48]

12. what Middle America?

n/t

[DeepModem Mom]

13. Excellent point, Marthe48 -- do we now have only the powerful...

and the powerless?

[AlienGirl]

15. Yes. nt

[BootinUp]

41. hmmm.

How should I respond?

If you were to state that the middle class is under attack, or shrinking even, I could join you in that statement. But there is still a middle class, a middle america, the people that elected the asshole pResident. Thats who I am talking about. And don't go into denial about voting machines and bullshit like that. Kerry lost. period.

[Danmel]

16. Time to stock up on firewood

Warm sweaters and hot cocoa mix.

[captain disgruntled]

28. I did read an article that referred to an increase in

use of wood-burning stoves expected in the Northeast--another nail in the environmental coffin. We get both the loss of the trees and the increase in untreated emissions....not that the power plants have been overcleansed recently....

[day2]

33. tree loss

You are right. I normally have 15-20 trees knocked down by wind/or just die every year. In years past I could not even give them away even when I cut them up. I've already had 3 calls for them this year.

[Lorien]

44. Here's a sick factoid; after last year's hurricanes the state of Florida

had over 170,000 live oaks that had fallen chopped up and burned in massive bonfires. NONE were used for fuel!!

[Le Taz Hot]

37. Just for the record

the trees we burn are ag wood -- mostly stone fruit and nut trees. These are trees farmers must periodically pull from the groves due to disease/age. Not much I can do about the environment (regular fireplace) but my husband's been out of work since May and I'll be damned if I can fork out $400.00 for a P.G. & E. bill.

[shadowknows69]

17. I'm completely screwed

We don't pay heat but its figured into our rent. My landlord is going to freak and if our rent goes up one more cent we have to move after 6 years.

[leQ]

18. seems i read somewhere where the farmers almanac had us down

for a warmer than normal winter this year.

the figure i've been hearing here in iowa is 70%. alliant (our utility) raised my budget 50% in july. the creeps raised gas by more than 10% in my september bill. they keep this up, by the end of winter it'll hit 70.

[Kool Kitty]

19. Maybe we should move.

Farmer's Almanac sez that the Northeast will be colder and snowier than normal. Fuckin' lovely. The last two winters were really cold and pretty snowy. We finally paid off our mortgage and thought we'd have some extra to fix things up here. Nice to know we won't have to worry our pretty little heads about where to spend that money. We'll just send it to the gas company. Shit.

And when people start freezing to death, what will the Administration spin be?

[Lithos]

20. Isn't the usual line

Something along... personal responsiblity? I mean they should have seen this coming, they should have been born in a rich household, they should have had a daddy buy everything for them....

L-

[Kool Kitty]

21. Sounds about right.

Like the time that Reagan said that the only people in America that go to bed hungry are the ones on a diet. Oy.

[Lithos]

24. Hey, we've got packets of Ketchup

That's nutritious enough...

L-

[natrat]

22. they should have been in government so they

could hand money to there friends

[Lithos]

25. Yeah

Personal responsibility - they should have been a CEO of a major corporation.

L-

[pimpbot]

26. I dont know about the rest of you...

but i keep warm during the winter by thowing sacks of $100 bills into my fireplace. Keeps it quite toasty.

[Lithos]

27. Those $20's just don't put out much heat

I'm right there with you...

L-

[MarsThe Cat]

29. candles- LOTS and LOTS of candles...

i have boxes and boxes full of candles- i pick them up at garage sales all summer- usually 50 cents or less- i look at it as pre-paying part of the heating bill. a dozen or so candles in each room can really keep it toasty...(i blow them all out at bedtime, or if we leave the house)

[distantearlywarning]

38. We do this too!

Other people I know make fun of me for the candle thing, but it's surprisingly effective and has the side bonus of providing a nice ambience in rooms during the winter months.

IKEA sells bags of 300 candles for about $5 - one bag lasts us a month and raises the temperature in rooms about 1-2 degrees (enough to save a fair bit on the heating bill).

[Nickster]

40. That really works? Heck, I'm scrambling for any ideas.

Any particular kinds you can suggest?

[MarsThe Cat]

43. i prefer the big ones- with multiple wicks.

i look for the ones with the thicker wicks, as they tend to give off more heat.

put them in shallow pans(pie tins, cake pans, etc.) in case you get a blowout, and wax pours out the side.

also- save the leftover wax when they burn down, to make additional candles.

and get a butane candle lighter.

[bee]

34. colder AND snowier in the Northeast?

:cry:

Weve already had to turn our heat on here. Its getting down into the 40's at night now.. & we have nat gas. If the cost increase is as much as expected, we'll be looking at $700/mo for heat. We'll be screwed.

[trogdor]

36. That would be the lake effect where I am.

Lake Ontario is undoubtedly piss warm right about now. The warmer the lake is, the worse it snows. Wonderful. Just wonderful. :eyes: I get to dodge snowmobiles all winter and smell their goddamned fumes. My only comfort is knowing that at $3/gal., it's costing them plenty.

[bunny planet]

30. Time to replace all the windows on my house with energy efficient ones.

I have an old house and the drafts are something awful, lose a lot of heat this way. I've already told the kids that we will be wearing a lot of sweaters, cut off gloves with the fingers exposed for dexterity, and turning off the heat at night, keeping it low during the day. I don't have gas heat, I never switched from oil but I'm hoping to make the tank last all winter long, not even turn it on until January if I can get away with it. I'm worried about the elderly people and the little ones in apartments where slumlords will just not turn on the heat at all.

[The_Casual_Observer]

31. As Dylan said "and I just say good luck!"

The world of george bush, a world of endless grief for the masses.

[barb162]

32. Just hope your utilities bought when it was cheaper....n/t

[Mr_Spock]

35. $2.77 /gallon for propane

:( I'm still in shock after seeing the total. :(

[Massachusetts]

39. "$2.77 /gallon for propane"

Indeed.

[MarsThe Cat]

42. well...after all it is God's Gas...

I'll tell you what...

[Mr_Spock]

45. lol - I was thinking of him

when I posted :D

[northzax]

46. and a lot of McMansions are entering their first winter

that ain't cheap. A doubling of my heating bill won't be bad, it's only about $25 a month last winter.