Just had an oil fill-up

[fabsroman]

Petey,

If I'm not mistaken, I remember you complaining about fuel prices a year or two ago, but I could be wrong. Funny how things are when the tables are turned. The oil and gas companies are no longer terrible price gougers when you are making making money off of them. Honestly, I am the same way. If I can make money off of it and it isn't morally reprehensible, I am all for it.

Dan,

My heating and cooling bill on my townhouse is rather pathetic. I keep the house at 68 during the winter now because of the baby. I used to keep it at 65 and we would just wear sweaters in the house. I refuse to let my daughter be cold though. Anyway, the townhouse is 1,600 sf with 4 stories above ground. The electric bill during the worst months of the summer is around $250 a month. Electricity is about $60 a month during the winter with the gas bill being around $250. Believe me, it is utterly nuts.

Maybe, a new house with 1/3 of it underground (i.e., basement), might not be that much more expensive to heat and cool than the townhouse. However, I am still planning on using wood stoves in the basement and first floor to cut back on some of the costs. I have already been doing calculations of how much it will cost in diesel fuel to go and cut the wood per trip with a truck bed and 10' trailer of wood per trip, and it comes out a lot better than paying $250+ a month for heating. We can keep the windows open during the summer.