> Your arguments are valid, but kind of missing the point. People > are > going to have to change, period, in the way they think of energy > usage. Or we're going to have to pour money and energy (pun intended) > into changing what we use as energy.
The easiest way to do this is for the state to stay out of the energy pricing business. Let high energy prices do their job. When gas hit $4/gallon last year, people's habits changed. They drove less and they purchased more fuel efficient vehicles, so much so that auto companies that depended on large truck/SUV sales as a large part of their profit margin are on the skids (and for a number of other reasons too). People used significantly less energy, period. To add onto the conversation about being more energy efficient, you do what you can. I replaced all but 3 bulbs in the house, 3 dozen in total, with CF bulbs over 3 years ago. The 3 daylight-temp incandescent bulbs are in our bathroom, for grooming purposes, natch. We're replacing our 48 year old wooden windows with much better vinyl windows a few at a time, to avoid taking on a home equity line. We keep the thermostat at 67 degrees max with a programmable unit and it goes down during the day and at night. Even then, we still get a $300 gas bill for our 1,800 sf house (I need to insulate the attic more, but I haven't had time. I may just pay someone to do it so it gets done.) Oil, coal and gas will eventually be replaced as primary energy generation sources when other energy sources become either economically (I'm looking at you, solar) or technologically (fusion) viable and also as consumers increase demand for alternative energy sources. While high energy prices can do good, artificially forcing consumers to pay even more, by the state interfering in the market by creating net-negative boondoggles such as ethanol or mandating x% of non-hydrocarbon generation, won't help and will only slow the natural evolution of the market towards a less carbon dependent state. ************************************************************************* ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *************************************************************************
