I don't know about you but I'm getting hammered with my heating oil bills.

It's not mid-January and I've already shelled out more bucks for the Oct-Jan bills than I have for the entire last heating season. And it's been a warm winter.

How are you faring? Do you guys purchase tackle or boat gear in the winter months? If so, are these high prices hurting you?

Put in an wood pellet insert it sure is helping. Oil and wood for the month of dec. 250.00 . ThomT

Turned down the hot water heater fired by oil to 120 degrees helped. Wood stove upstairs and with forced hot water oil heat. The colder it get the more open the stove damper gets. Still it sucks. Log length cord wood is now $85.oo per, which I usally get 7 cord at a whack. It has to affecting everynes purchases for next year.

It hasn't been as bad as expected, but we also are militant about keeping the heat as low as possible.

Working from home there are times I can't feel my toes.

-spence

i'm burning bassmaster plugs to stay warm :af:

Ben, as a Facilities Manager I spent most of this week choking on gas bills for our different buildings. Take for instance our High School/Junior High building complex. 326,400 square feet total. One heating plant for the two. New equipment, 2002, 2.8 million in new boilers, circ. pumps etc. Month of December, and remember we were not in session for ten days at X-Mas, $ 56,420.00

I have four other buildings on all gas as well. That's twice what last years bill was for that complex.:liquify: :nailem:

I understand the reason for the oil prices being high but why Natural gas??

Why is it that the price of NG doubles in the winter??

I have a small cape and usually pay 500-700/season and the one bill I received was almost 500$ (I usually fill 3-4 times per season)!

I am glad I have oil because when I was in the same size house I was playing almost 400$/ month (new furnace and well insulated as well).

utilities :af:


I heat with wood, and thank god, trees are all around me, and with the wind storm of 12/09, I have scored some nice oak and locust for next season.

Cape & Islands, 81 % electric increase, 70% increase in gas, and oil, well that's off the charts. And don't even get me started on my homeowners ins.!
It's official, according to WXTK, lowest prevailing wages, highest cost of living in the Northeast, is right here, Cape and Islands,. coupled with this, and the seasonal job issues, and the decline in the RE market, well the economic forecast is not pretty for us down here...

As far as purchases, well, I need some lure parts, will acquire them as needed, and thankfully, I have plenty of blanks :uhuh:

It is killing me what heating costs:af: but all I can do about it is turn down the thermostat and wear a sweatshirt.

If oil company executives (who make insane profits) could be charged rediculous prices for their services that they personally need, maybe it would bring them back down to earth, but that's not gonna happen.
Another words if I ever go to an estimate for a job at an oil company CEO's home, I'd charge him twice the price just because, and I'd tell him if he doesn't like it blame the high fuel costs because it costs all of us when we get gaffed:nailem:

thanks weewee, now you got me pissed, good thing it's in the 50's right now

It's killin me. I'm moving this month as a result to an apartment with all utilities included.

utilities :af:


I heat with wood, and thank god, trees are all around me, and with the wind storm of 12/09, I have scored some nice oak and locust for next season.

Cape & Islands, 81 % electric increase, 70% increase in gas, and oil, well that's off the charts. And don't even get me started on my homeowners ins.!
It's official, according to WXTK, lowest prevailing wages, highest cost of living in the Northeast, is right here, Cape and Islands,. coupled with this, and the seasonal job issues, and the decline in the RE market, well the economic forecast is not pretty for us down here...
:


and ya know why that is? because Americans are too damn cheap to spend money on vacation and all us yankees up here are to frugal to part with our money. I haven't done much work down the cape in a long time because they don't wanna pay, others will work cheap so they get the job. Out of staters with second homes are tightwads with their money and beat the prices down so I go west:uhuh: where the money is. It sucks that the Capes' cost rise more than elsewhere. The last 20 years have changed the Cape forever and that's sad.

Steve,

As I understand it, natural gas is closely correlated to crude oil prices.

I don't know why.

Now, as far as the evil oil companies - I mean it sucks but there is the law of supply and demand to deal with (constrained supply because we haven't built new refineries to process high sulfur crude, increased demand from China etc) and the fact that we have these !@#$ing speculators pushing oil futures up into the stratosphere.

Anyhoo, it's funny (or sad) that I'm thinking of my bills in terms of whole van staal reels.

One of my neighbors, who uses natural gas to heat her home, had a whopping $700 gas bill ... for the month of December. :sick:

That's just evil :shocked:

Has anyone installed programmable thermostats and noticed a big difference?

We have 4 zones and are pretty good about making sure they are turned as low as possible when not in use...but I've been a thinking...

-spence

Cost are definitely up this season. Programmable thermostats used to help but now that the wife is home full time with the kids, they need to keep the heat at a steady state. When I arrive home, I always drop it a few degrees and they're all getting used to wearing sweatshirts, at minimum, around the house.

freakin oil is creeping up to $70/bbl again. :wall:

Im independantly wealthy so it doesnt affect me at all . Ill smoke them oils at that price

I am in the same boat as Moses. There was a story in the paper about the NG demand not being so great cause of the mild temps. This is just price gouging plain and simple...

Ben, I can't buy the supply and demand argument any more. I can't help but conclude it's pure price gouging and windfall profit-taking.

Why does the price of crude today result in an immediate spike at the pump, when the oil purchased on those futures might still be in the ground over in Saudi?

Prices went up $1.50 a gallon in the 3 days after Katrina, well before the extent of refinery damage was known and before any adverse affect could have occurred to gas supplies. Yet, in the next 6 weeks, when any shortages that occurred would have had their greatest effect, prices fell to below where they were right before Katrina :confused: Could it have had something to do with Katrina hitting the week before Labor Day, after people made their final vacation plans (seeing how prices had remained relatively stable since Memorial Day when they usually rise) and the oil barons saw the opportunity to take some quick windfall profits?

Home heating oil? Most of what's currently in the supply line was refined months ago. And it's been a mild winter. Yet, they cite the need to divert crude supplies to heating oil production as one rationale for the prices spiking after the first week of December.

Sorry--I'm not some wild-eyed lefty, but I ain't buying Big Oil's bullscheit any more :af:

Mike,

Prices are heavily influenced by the futures market. Hell, I'm not happy, but if you look at how prices fluctuate around the times gov't inventory reports are released, you'll see some correlation.

Anyways, what's propping oil up right now, after a time of relative calmness, is geopolitical uncertainty.

Iran is stirring the pot and people are worried about supply constraints. :behead:

I don't doubt that there may have been some gouging at the retail level at the time of Katrina, but equilibrium supply and demand are dictating the prices right now.

I had a fascinating discussion about oil with an energy trader.

There is more than enough crude to go around.

It's just not the light sweet variety (i.e., low sulfur) that our refineries are accustomed to refining into gas. We need to revamp our refinery capacity. Something tells me that there is an economic incentive to do that right now, but new capacity doesn't exactly turn on a dime.

Anyways, getting back to fishing - if prices trend as they are now, I think I'm gonna be fishing local a lot more this season.

One more thing - #2 home heating oil is really nothing more than low sulfur diesel with a red die to mark it as a tax-exempt fuel.

So if they're diverting heating oil for other distillate than that makes sense.

The other thing that most people don't realize - is that when warm weather hits, the wholesale cost of heating oil usually goes down, but the RETAIL PRICE HAS TO GO UP. Heating oil companies have to raise prices to meet the per-gallon profit targets, because they're shipping fewer gallons when it's warm.

You know Mike, I'm kinda wondering if I should move to S. Virginia or N. Carolina where the fishing might be a bit less rocky but the weather a lot warmer. I'm getting tired of this tri-state madness.

My wife's grandmother passed away in October of 04, she lived in NC.
She was a very cheap person - she moved down there to save money - she lived in a trailer, in New Bern.
I went down there to clean out the trailer and get it ready to sell. We sold her trailer for 7K - which is about the going rate for a used double wide. It cost another 150 per month to park it on the lot. It was about 1/2 hour from the open ocean and maybe 10 mins to Palmico Sound.

I pre-bought all my oil this year at 2.19 a gallon so the heat hasn't been concerning me as much this year as last. We locked in last year too but the bills in the winter stink so I prepaid it in the fall and got a good price.

WEEWEE Get programmable thermostats and use them on every zone. Get the ones with the highest number of program cycles along with 7 day. Use it aggressively and you will see significant savings. We saved over a tank of oil last year alone and that was before we did the last zone upstairs. The nice thing is you can set it to go to all different levels in multiple times during the day and then drop to 60 at nite if the zone isn't needed or during the day if it's not needed then.

No problem (right now) here in BigFish city! We bought the house with a half tank of oil....I got another half tank of oil free from a removal I did and filled the tank at the house....it is down to a little less than half right now and I am doing another removal on Tuesday that has another half tank of oil and its coming home with me....I also have a full tank of oil I got free from some other removals ready to use when I need it!:wiggle: Looks like I won't need to buy any oil this winter at all!:laughs:

Think of all the tackle I can buy with the savings!:cool:

hasn't effected me...here are the recent winter purchases so far:
http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/5373/imgp0783large7aq.jpg

oh wait, i live in a tiny apartment and heat is free...oh yeah, my priorities are messed up!

BUT, here's a sail we caught in the keys last week:

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/8018/pict0113large9yn.jpg

:drool: Nice!

Home builders and the real estate market are all talking about the mid-west migration. Living expenses are MUCH cheaper out there. People are leaving New England at a pretty good pace these days.

My gas fireplace has been good to me. Localized heat where I spend most of my time, in the living room. I don't really care if some of my other rooms are a bit chilly.

We're on our third delivery (today) since August. 235 gallons at @$2.05/gallon is 482 bucks:af:

Here's something scary...the house I'm working at uses 150gals. oil every two weeks!

Yes you read that correctly!

Jeez.....what it must be like to have such a large house and an equal amount of money.

sure joey show us how nice it is where are . Im going to charter a jet , Ill be there Sunday

NOt a house but the college that I work at we getting are oil del three times a week at 8000 gals at a time. Now we arn't using #2 we are using #6 still it costs the college about 1.15 per gallon yesterday the averaged 2.75 gpm. Last year at this time we were getting 6 loads a week week an average or about 5.5 gpm. THomT

we are fairing the winter heating bills,not as bad this year,but I must admit the weather the past couple of weeks has been kind got a chance to open the windows & let some freash air in:wiggle:
I installed a 7 day programmable Tstat & man what a diff that makes.

All I can say is,that in 7 weeks I going to Panama for a 9 day fishing adventure,then in April IM off for a 7 day cruise with the wife & kids,Bring it on:humpty:


5/0

Just think, this has been a mild witner.

Wood stove on one end of house pellet stove on the other. I hate winter

I have a coal stove, so that help allot...I just got it last year and I am still deciding weather to build a coal bin to purchase in loose bulk or keep buying it by the bag...I just got a pallet of bags for $270 ( 60 40# bags ) that should carry me into next winter

I'll burn furniture before I let oil prices affect my fishing. Of course, my wife would say we could heat the house for a month by burning my wooden plugs hanging from the basement rafters. Fat chance.

wood stove...it helps a bunch with the oil consumption, plus sweat clothes and blankets....just like when I was growin up......
as for the tackle purchases...I'm so broke I can't even pay attention

Ben, I can't buy the supply and demand argument any more. I can't help but conclude it's pure price gouging and windfall profit-taking.

Why does the price of crude today result in an immediate spike at the pump, when the oil purchased on those futures might still be in the ground over in Saudi?

Prices went up $1.50 a gallon in the 3 days after Katrina, well before the extent of refinery damage was known and before any adverse affect could have occurred to gas supplies. Yet, in the next 6 weeks, when any shortages that occurred would have had their greatest effect, prices fell to below where they were right before Katrina :confused: Could it have had something to do with Katrina hitting the week before Labor Day, after people made their final vacation plans (seeing how prices had remained relatively stable since Memorial Day when they usually rise) and the oil barons saw the opportunity to take some quick windfall profits?

Home heating oil? Most of what's currently in the supply line was refined months ago. And it's been a mild winter. Yet, they cite the need to divert crude supplies to heating oil production as one rationale for the prices spiking after the first week of December.

Sorry--I'm not some wild-eyed lefty, but I ain't buying Big Oil's bullscheit any more :af:

I'm with ya on this.The oil company's are enjoying record profits this yr.Enough said.We need a goverment to take control of these situations unfortunatley there in on the windfalls also.The US economy cannot run on a 100 percent oil increase for long.There will be ramifications as Slip Stated the trickle down effect will snowball to our next recession.Then what will it cost us an our kids.

Just got the new KeySpan bill---$481.81 for last month :af: :wall:

The bastards aren't even coming to read the *&^%$#@ meter--ESTIMATED usage. I know we haven't used that much.

You didn't think they were gonna "UNDERESTIMATE"......did you Mike? Thats reason number one why I will never own gas ever again!:nailem:

My bill was the same way estimate.off last yrs' usage?
This way they get all kinds of surpluss cash an bankroll it into more money.Meanwhile heating degree days are less than half of last yrs.says it right on the bill.

How about calling in your own gas meter reading. Its accurate but the gas co. would probably prefer to have it inaccurate, go figure.


Just got the new KeySpan bill---$481.81 for last month :af: :wall:

The bastards aren't even coming to read the *&^%$#@ meter--ESTIMATED usage. I know we haven't used that much.

If you can add a wood burning stove to your home you can drasticly reduce your heating bill. I'm furtunate enough to come across wood all year through my job, it can be a lot of work but well worth it. Our home is a tri-level style home with the bedroom upstairs our stove puts out enough heat that leaveing the bedrooms open is enough and the furnance rarely comes on. Granted we'd had a mild winter so far our gas bill has been under $125 last month. Wood isn't just for plugs ya know.

My gas meter is read over the phone lines via a modem they installed right to the meter a few years ago. No more estimated readings.

I upgraded to a high eff. gas furnace, I also use a pellet stove in the fam room. So far this year I have used only one ton of pellets, as compared to two last year, and the gas company lowered our monthly budget payment almost 1/2 of last year. So mild winter and better furnace= more boat fuel !!!

It all evens out in the end...

It all evens out in the end...

That is what I figure. If the winter stays mild for the next couple of months they will raise prices even more to make up for lack of usage.

How about calling in your own gas meter reading. Its accurate but the gas co. would probably prefer to have it inaccurate, go figure.

It's funny you mentioned that how they would prefer to have it in there favor,Well It's true!

Four years ago we switched over to gas for heat,we have it for stove & water heater anyway that first winter was record cold,not to mention our bills were record high!I called and tried to talk with them bill after bill.(phone line metering)they told me it's a cold winter & you have an old house.I got fed up & did some digging on the bills I went out side to my meter & read it myself & compaired it with the bills they were off by a country mile!WTF!

Also in there defense they told me that their metering based on last winters heating bill.
Really!Tell me how can that be?I had oil last year!!!
Then I get the...O-maybe your meter is faulty we'll come out and take a look @ it.Well it was faulty and they replaced it.They would come out each month and take a reading.
Our bill was fixed but WFT If i said nothing at all we would still be paying through the nose,but If it was anything to do on my end they would cut us off:yak:

Whenever they tie into the phone line to get the reading you are asking for trouble.I have heard of it screwing up home security systems and there are also privacy issues.People have also complained about the clarity of their conversations after this system is installed.Then if you call the bozos from the phone company they come and indiscriminantly start hacking away at wires.:rocketem:

2.05 is good Ross,
I filled up once in December, and I've been shivering for the rest of the winter.
Still got a 1/2 tank left, gonna try to make it on one fillup.
Lots O' cooking around the Bomba house..stews, etc...anything that makes steam.
Later,
Rick

$2.30 a gallon, 200 gallons = killing me

By the way, shouldn't it be called "heating day degrees" rather than heating degree days? I'm aware of how HDDs are calculated, but let's say the average temp on a particular day is 50. That means that there were 15 heating degree days on that DAY. How can you have X number of DAYS in any one particlar day? Wouldn't it make more sense to say that there were 15 heating day DEGREES on that day?
The nomenclature would then reflect the fact that the temp of your house was 15 DEGREES below the avarage temp for that DAY.
I've always wondered about that.

:conf: :think:

By the way, shouldn't it be called "heating day degrees" rather than heating degree days? I'm aware of how HDDs are calculated, but let's say the average temp on a particular day is 50. That means that there were 15 heating degree days on that DAY. How can you have X number of DAYS in any one particlar day? Wouldn't it make more sense to say that there were 15 heating day DEGREES on that day?
The nomenclature would then reflect the fact that the temp of your house was 15 DEGREES below the avarage temp for that DAY.
I've always wondered about that.

:conf: :think:

Just send someone to read the damn meter, like they did in the old days, that's all I ask.

My meter's outside, and easy to get to. Don't matter if no one's at home--just read the damn thing. I'd rather pay $200 every month than pay $500 one month and get a credit the next.

Same thing with LIPA, our "not-for-profit" electric company. 3 months out of 4 I get an estimated bill, or a card to mark. I wouldn't mind marking the card if Richie Kessel and his political cronies weren't making 6 figure salaries for heading up a "not-for-profit" utility. 2/3rd of LIPA employees make more than 100K a year. Can a few of those leeches and hire some meter readers for $25K a year :rollem:

Just send someone to read the damn meter, like they did in the old days, that's all I ask.

My meter's outside, and easy to get to. Don't matter if no one's at home--just read the damn thing. I'd rather pay $200 every month than pay $500 one month and get a credit the next.

Same thing with LIPA, our "not-for-profit" electric company. 3 months out of 4 I get an estimated bill, or a card to mark. I wouldn't mind marking the card if Richie Kessel and his political cronies weren't making 6 figure salaries for heading up a "not-for-profit" utility. 2/3rd of LIPA employees make more than 100K a year. Can a few of those leeches and hire some meter readers for $25K a year :rollem:
I'll save my opinions about lawyers.I can also look past bitching about the salary of "not for profit" companies(put in dummies so you get bad ideas).But please,try not to belittle meter readers.We have installed over 7,000 transponders for drive-by readings within the past year at our water department and that is a lot of work .
Irony is;.... a lawyer calling ANYONE else "leeches".

:buds: :bshake:

Why is everyone bitchin about how much fuel costs -- just a thought, what was in that energy policy that VP Cheney wrote and nobody can get a glimpse of ??? Who are the Pols that are now in office that have MAJOR interests in the OIL industries?? How come a Mass politician can go to Venezuela and make a deal for low cost oil to be delivered to New England when the party in charge lets prices climb right off the wall. How many Billions of dollars are being spent on a 7 year trip to PLUTO? How many homes would that heat?? I think I will shut up as this is not a poitical forum. OR MAYBE IT IS AND WE JUST MISS THE POINT. I wonder how much fuel we burn in Iraq daily ??? :confused: :confused:

By the way, I am on a fixed income and have the same gripes as you. I sometimes have to scrape to pay that @#%#$^%oil bill too.

And while on the subject .. A trip to the ditch with my Wrangler takes almost a tank of gas. I think this year will see less trips to my favorite fishing spots with the cost of gas. I think we will see a new group of politicians next election.

Yeah.....a new group of politicians will right the ship!:doh: :hs: :uhoh: :jester: