What have you done to cope with high energy costs?

BeGreen said:

It's cheaper to learn to brew your own high quality beer. As far as keeping it cold... well we have Puget Sound, 48-50 degrees year round.

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BeGreen said:

Redox said:

Hmm, year round chilled water. Can I bury a PEX loop in there?

Chris

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Year round steady temp water. There are some lodges up north on the water that have geothermal heat pumps connected to a tubing mesh in the Sound.

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fossil said:

I haven't gotten a haircut in almost 9 years. I rarely bathe. As soon as I can afford some propane, I'm going to grill both of wife's cats. And maybe her dog. Rick

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Redox said:

Funny you should mention that! There was an article in this morning's paper that said the MARC stations are becoming stressed for parking spaces. Seems that people ARE looking at alternatives, but I suspect that some of this traffic might be from people that have moved here from DC.

I understand DC has a very good Metro system and there is a regional system called MARC that connects Baltimore to DC and all the way out to Martinsburg WV. It also connects to AMTRAK and BWI Airport. Baltimore's system isn't nearly as widespread as DC's, but it is possible to get on the bus or subway or light rail in your neighborhood and go to New York or Boston (or anywhere) without ever getting in a car. I've used the Light Rail to go to baseball games at Camden Yards (named after the train station, BTW) and AMTRAK to go to NYC on business. I know people that do this to see a show on Broadway or go to Times Square on New Years eve. It's very convenient and anything that keeps cars off of I-95 is a good thing, IMHO. As well connected as we are, it wouldn't work for me in my line of business. I run service and never know where I'll be and what I'll need to have with me in the way of tools and equipment. I'm still trying to figure out how to run service calls on a motorcycle!

My sister used to live in Gaithersburg west of DC and commuted to Georgetown in a Chevette. After hearing yet another story about the traffic jams that result from an accident or bad weather, I asked her why she didn't just take the Metro? She said that after paying to park (yeah, they charge for that!) and the monthly pass, the Chevette was actually cheaper! This was about 15 years ago and I suspect the situation has probably changed a lot, but you have to be able to put a price on the convenience of not having to deal with traffic. The traffic around here can be a nightmare!

I hear BART is a very good system. Are there any plans on expanding it in the works? Unfortunately, the State of MD, in their infinite wisdom has decided to invest in more highways, rather than more public transportation. Nobody wants a subway going throught their neighborhood and Lexus lanes from rich bedroom communities are easier to get past the voters. Is $4/gal gas enough to get people out of their cars? I suspect not...

Chris

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