We heard back from a couple of bloggers as we prepared last month’s Blogsday show. Michael W. Hobson — whose blog we celebrated by reading the post barcode attack! — told us about his neck of the woods.
Not much exciting going on in Maryland, except that our electric bills are about to skyrocket thanks to deregulation. My wife and I actually moved our bedroom, plus our baby’s nursery, into the basement for the summer. Why keep fighting physics by pumping the AC upstairs, when it all just slides back downstairs? With our beds in the basement we’ve made it this far without turning on the AC.
Michael W. Hobson, seedlings, in an email to Open Source, June 14, 2006
That comment is slightly outdated now — just yesterday (or the day before?) the Maryland legislature passed a resolution slowing down the rate increases. Guess we’re not saving quite as much money as we’d hoped … but in this case that’s a good problem to have.
Michael W. Hobson, seedlings, in an email to Open Source, June 16, 2006
We spend a lot of time thinking about the cost and fate of oil (not to mention global warming ), and Michael’s comment got us wondering. What is the day-to-day, personal impact of rising fuel costs? How have you been affected by the rising cost of fuel? Are you converting your diesel car to vegetable oil? Are you holding out on the air conditioning? Are your bags packed for the basement?
As plenty of others have explained — in real (inflation adjusted) terms, energy costs are NOT higher than they’ve ever been. This is a media-driven “event”, the way every snowstorm we get here in New England is touted by the local TV news as the storm of the century.
Anyway, my ancestors come from Scandinavia and all this global warming heatwave stuff is tough on us Nordic types. I’m happiest at about 65 degrees for normal activity and about 55 degrees for sleeping. So I crank up the AC, which creates greater demand for electricity so they burn more coal, so there’s more global warming, so I crank up the AC some more, so . . .
In my neck of the woods the rising cost of fuel slowed down the tourism industry–well, that and the last election. . . . WIth the increase in fuel costs we are personally forced to drive less, which isn’t much of a problems as we live on an island and there is only so far we can drive. However, the ferry rates have increase 17% this past year with a further increase of a total of 40% expected by 2007. None of this increase will cover the added cost of fuel–so they ferry system will cover that by adding a surcharge. Now instead of $40 (gas, plus ferry ticket, plus lunch) just to go grocery shopping it will cost more than $50 and by this time next year may well cost $75. What was a haven of sustainability, simplicity, and cheap living has gone the way of all things–the realm of the wealthy who could care less.
So now, I only go to the mainland if I absolutely have to–perhaps twice a month. I load the station wagon down till it drags. The energy rates will no longer be protected by the bubble of cooperative purchasing so soon will rise dramatically–will we have to turn off the second fridge and eat more salted meats? I don’t know. I find myself cycling and walking much more than usual; cooking out doors more than just during the summer and fanatically chasing after the kids to turn off lights, tv, etc.
As for AC–what’s up with that? Ive lived in the Northeast, I’ve lived in the South, I live in the Northwest. Never owned one, wouldn’t want to. It never gets as hot in my house as in a busy restaurant kitchen, so it always feels cool. . . .
I second the idea that you can live without owning an air conditioner.
I lived around NYC for years.
In a brick apartment.
Top floor.
There really is only about 2-3 weeks a year when the heat is really bad.
I should add that I am not a “hot weather person”.
I do not like it.
But you do get used to it.
And it does get cooler.
One of my favorite memories as an adult
is waiting and waiting for the weather to break in the summer of 2000.
It was really hot for over a week.
It looked like it was going to rain for 3 days.
When it finally rained and the air changed
emotionally
it was so powerful for me.
I filled up with strong emotion of the beauty of it all.
I would have never felt any of it
sitting in an air conditioned room looking out the window
and thinking,
“oh look…its raining.”
It is okay to be a little uncomfortable.