“Electricity is consuming a greater share of Americans' after-tax income than at any time since 1996,” reported Dennis Cauchon in USA TODAY earlier this month. Go to:
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/story/2011-12-13/electric-bills/51840042/1
If we attempt to project what the rate of increase in our utility bills may be in the long run, I make several directional comments:
• Rates are not likely to go down in the future. We can only realistically expect them to go up.
• We might expect a 2% to 5% increase on the low side to account for the inflation rate of electric, gas, and propane costs.
• However, if we accept the projections as published by USA Today, we might expect a 5% to 10% or exponential increase in our future utility expenses.
Looking at some of the variables, we see that the big rivers have already been dammed and that the cheap or “easy-to-get-to” oil and gas have been pumped and consumed. Future coal, and fuel extracted from tar sands are still more expensive to mine, transport and burn.
Recently, CNBC’s “60 Minutes” featured a documentary on “Clean Coal.” The truth is that there is no such thing as clean coal! Coal combustion may be “cleaner” but the phrase “Clean Coal” is false advertising and very misleading to the consumer, politicians and others. This documentary clearly explained the facts, logistics, our addiction to fossil fuels and current and future problems related to exhausting billions of tons of carbon dioxide into the air.
In the meantime, for the best return on your investment (ROI), I suggest you focus on greater efficiency. Change your light bulbs if you haven’t already; add insulation; open and close your shades and curtains to control heat gain and loss through your windows, and install a solar water heater and solar electric system to generate your own on-site electricity. Then, expenses of building and operating new coal generation plants will not have to be incurred, and oil extracted from tar sands will not be needed at all!
What a good way to start and finish 2012!
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Friday, August 5, 2011
Hottest Days on Record
When I was growing up in Memphis Tennessee, I remember well days when the summer temperatures were “unbearable” with 101 and 102 º F temperatures and with high humidity. Football practices--“two-a-days” in August were experiences I will always remember.As I recall, we had afternoon temperatures over 104 º F.
But, recently, the temperatures are going up to 106 and 107 º F in Memphis and here in Northwest Arkansas. Fort Smith, Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Dallas and across the Midwest have experienced 114 º F -- and higher than 100 º F every day for over a month and without significant rain. Today, the forecast is for the hottest day every recorded here in Rogers and other locations in the Midwest.
No, I cannot prove that these unprecedented temperatures are caused by global warming, but as I inferred in my earlier blog, it should make all of us very suspicious and motivate all of us to focus on ways that we can save energy – it is just the right thing to do!
But, recently, the temperatures are going up to 106 and 107 º F in Memphis and here in Northwest Arkansas. Fort Smith, Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Dallas and across the Midwest have experienced 114 º F -- and higher than 100 º F every day for over a month and without significant rain. Today, the forecast is for the hottest day every recorded here in Rogers and other locations in the Midwest.
No, I cannot prove that these unprecedented temperatures are caused by global warming, but as I inferred in my earlier blog, it should make all of us very suspicious and motivate all of us to focus on ways that we can save energy – it is just the right thing to do!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Tornadoes, Hurricanes, Floods and Drought
How many tornadoes, hurricanes, extraordinary rain storms, atypical snows or blizzards, drought and floods, must we experience before we all admit that climate change is real, and that these changes MAY be caused by the amount of fossil fuels we burn?
The latest occurrences of tornadoes in Joplin Missouri last Sunday evening, and across Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia several weeks ago, just add to the long list of “natural” devastation and heartaches—Greenburg, KS, Parkersburg, IA, Nashville, TN, St. Louis airport, Fort Smith, AR, Pierce City, MO, Stockton MO, Moore, OK (twice)—even Salt Lake City, UT.
And the list of destructive hurricanes is long—Katrina, Rita, Andrew, Hugo,
Gustav, Ana and Ike—just to name a few.
With basic understanding of the physics of light and heat—reflection, absorption, emissivity, specific heat, thermal expansion and contraction—one can hypothesize that earthquakes and volcanoes are caused by the one or two degree increase of the average temperature of the Earth.
No, I cannot prove these statements and phenomenon with certainty, but if we wait for absolute statistical proof, our world and the ecology of it may be beyond the tipping point for recovery by animals and plants, including human beings. It is well documented that Earth is a degree or two warmer; that the glaciers and ice caps are melting, and the global ecology is changing—to these facts, literally thousands of scientists agree. Because of the accumulation of carbon dioxide and other gases in the outer atmosphere, there is more thermal energy retained on Earth.
Does each of us have the right to just wait and RISK going beyond this ecological tipping point? Are there things each person can do to assure sustainability?
Fortunately, there ARE clean and sustainable solutions. It starts with the realization that there is a problem, followed by personal commitments and behavior that will drive change— by individuals, families, corporations and governments. This can be done through conservation, advances and implementations of internet smart-grid technology, and increased efficiency in the performance of cars, trucks, air conditioners, homes, commercial buildings and manufacturing will lead to favorable economics and affluence for more people. Reduced energy loads in the future will provide for a greater impact from clean energy generation with wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, water power and fuel cells and thus assure sustainability for us and future generations.
The debate should be over—saving energy is just the right thing to do.
Orlo Stitt
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