THE Winter Heating Thread (merged)

[IslandCrow]

BBC report

US consumers will pay on average 10% more to warm their homes this winter than they did last year, according to a government forecast.

I notice that the short article ranks different fuels used for heating with oil going up most (18%), natural gas next (10%), and electricity only by 4%. This fits well with a lot of the models of how close to peak we are in each area.

[Jack]

That should go well with those Christmas bills!

Seriously, I think the economy - at least, the economy from the perspective of the bottom two socioeconomic quintiles - is going to be in distress soon.

Peak cometh....

[Revi]

I saw a price of $2.69.9 a gallon today for heating oil. That's already over 10% up from last winter here. It can only go up from here, with the dollar tanking so hard. Scary.

We know a person who put her last $7 into her heating oil tank, in October! It hasn't even frosted yet here. This is going to be a nasty winter for the poor and the working poor. I am glad we have a woodstove!

[markcl]

Winter will be here soon and there is very little winter diesel fuel to be had here in east South Dakota or west Minnesota, I took the last 28 gallons in Milbank.It is needed in all trucks and tractors and outdoor stored home heating oil at temps just below freezing. Maybe the roads will be just big parking lots.

[SILENTTODD]

The Dakotas and Minnesota were all settled before the age of oil. What did people use to do then, how did they stay warm? (Of course as long as they kept their Horses or Mules alive through winter they didn’t have to worry if the machinery would work next spring).

[americandream]

The Dakotas and Minnesota were all settled before the age of oil. What did people use to do then, how did they stay warm? (Of course as long as they kept their Horses or Mules alive through winter they didn’t have to worry if the machinery would work next spring).

They cut the native forests down.

[wisconsin_cur]

The Dakotas and Minnesota were all settled before the age of oil. What did people use to do then, how did they stay warm? (Of course as long as they kept their Horses or Mules alive through winter they didn’t have to worry if the machinery would work next spring).

They cut the native forests down.

Of course we cut down the forests just to find enought work to keep us warm... we also cut them down to build houses through out the midwest.

We also burned poop.

And we wore wool

And we ate a lot of animal fat

We also cuddled under down blankets and made more babies

and we were cold

we didn't complain about it though cause everybody was cold

You still see the effect of this experience in the attitudes of those who descend from those settlers. You think life is good? Just wait winter is coming. The sun is warm and the flowers are blooming? Just wait here comes the wind and the -30 below night.

It is not an accident that Disney, Hollywood and the majority of the feel good popular culture has its roots in places without a hard winter. This attitude can only come from a place where the beauty of a warm sun can be taken for granted. It is my opinion that the storied work ethic of the upper midwest comes from the historical experience that if you do not make hay when you can then you will at the very least find yourself poor and may find yourself dead.

Some of us also remember that hard times probably won't kill you, if you are prepared.