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| Sunday, June 08, 2008 |
| Energy prices will rise along with temperatures |
The Boston Globe reports bad news for utility payers in Massachusetts: Summer looks like a scorcher The average family's monthly electric bill will jump 12 percent this summer over last year, to $103, according to NStar Corp., which provides electricity for nearly half the state's consumers. The new rates, proposed for July 1, will mark a 7 percent rise from current rates, which were set in December, the company said, reflecting the surge in the price of fuels used to generate electric power, namely natural gas and oil.
And that's not counting the historic highs in fuel prices reached last week; those won't filter into the electric bills until December, when rates have their second re-set of the year.
"Electricity prices are going to be very high, particularly here in New England," said Mary H. Novak, an energy economist at Global Insight in Waltham. And there's no relief in sight, she said: "Prices will be astronomical next winter." My solar panels are producing away, but today I finally had to cave and turn my ancient central AC unit on - hopefully once this little heat wave goes away I can turn it back off again... |
| posted by Boston Gal @ 12:17 PM *
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| 3 Comments: |
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I'm interested in hearing some solar panel stats. On a mostly cloudy 95 degree scorcher like today, how many watts is it producing right now? Is that amount all of your electrical needs without central a/c? And with a/c?
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This worries me. Pretty soon we will have trouble affording basic services, and this with two incomes and side jobs. I would love to see some government subsidies for wind and solar so people could get in that loop more easily. The initial expense can be prohibitive for most.
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Well this isn't quite with the electrical topic, but it is about resources.
There was a feature on Chicago Public Radio featuring grey water and recycling. I though you might find it interesting. http://www.chicagopublicradio.org/Content.aspx?audioID=25759
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I'm interested in hearing some solar panel stats. On a mostly cloudy 95 degree scorcher like today, how many watts is it producing right now? Is that amount all of your electrical needs without central a/c? And with a/c?