First the heat now the cold...
- Thread starter Stelliform
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Counterfit
macrumors G3
proper air conditioning? 
I've lived without that all my life. And don't tell me I don't need it, ever try to sleep when the humidity is 95%?
I've lived without that all my life. And don't tell me I don't need it, ever try to sleep when the humidity is 95%?I am a fan of free markets, but this is why I firmly believe utilities such as this should be owned and operated by the taxpayers. Charge just enough to cover expenses, and a few bucks left over for an emergency fund. Of course, then you have to find a government capable of properly managing a business. Things will only get worse in the future, as automobiles begin to switch to hydrogen. You need water and electricity to get hydrogen. Guess who's buying our local water company?
http://www.rwe.com/generator.aspx/templateId=renderPage/id=496
http://www.rwe.com/generator.aspx/templateId=renderPage/id=496
Stelliform
macrumors 68000
.....
Yes, actually the town I live in owns its own water system. But, we are a VERY small town. Population < 10000. You bump into the Mayor and council members every day. If they f something up, their going to hear about it. And, our rates are very cheap. But, KY American is the water company for Lexington, the second largest city in our state. They also serve many surrouning counties, I believe close to half a million people. We even buy water from them during shortages.
The city of Lexington is attempting to condemn the water company and take it over, but I just don't think I would like their current government running it. I don't know which is worse, giving it to a conglomerate that also controls electricity and natural gas around the world, or giving it to a wasteful and unresponsive government. RWE has already laid off almost all of the local water employees in order to boost the bottom line. I can't help but feel small rate increases will happen on a regular basis. Oh well, I do technically live in a city that is mostly independent of them. My life won't be effected too much. But, we are almost just a western suburb of Lexington, and everything that happens their has some effect on us.
As for affording A/C, I lived the extremely hot summer of 1999 without it. We just didn't have the money. We coped, but a lot of elderly people may not be able to cope so well.
btw... Lafayette seems to be a pretty big town. Usually, politics bleed over into anything that the city has any control over in a town that size or bigger. I'm glad to hear they are doing a good job with the water.
The city of Lexington is attempting to condemn the water company and take it over, but I just don't think I would like their current government running it. I don't know which is worse, giving it to a conglomerate that also controls electricity and natural gas around the world, or giving it to a wasteful and unresponsive government. RWE has already laid off almost all of the local water employees in order to boost the bottom line. I can't help but feel small rate increases will happen on a regular basis. Oh well, I do technically live in a city that is mostly independent of them. My life won't be effected too much. But, we are almost just a western suburb of Lexington, and everything that happens their has some effect on us.
As for affording A/C, I lived the extremely hot summer of 1999 without it. We just didn't have the money. We coped, but a lot of elderly people may not be able to cope so well.
btw... Lafayette seems to be a pretty big town. Usually, politics bleed over into anything that the city has any control over in a town that size or bigger. I'm glad to hear they are doing a good job with the water.
wdlove
macrumors P6
Neither my wife or I lived with A/C till after we got married. I can remember growing up what a treat it was to visit a store that had A/C.
I thought that England was pretty much under govenment control. A cradle to grave type of health care system. If the utliites are run by the govenment it seems cruel for them to cut off the heat.
I thought that England was pretty much under govenment control. A cradle to grave type of health care system. If the utliites are run by the govenment it seems cruel for them to cut off the heat.
patrick0brien
macrumors 68040
Wusses! We're all wusses!!!
Sorry. Rare emotional outburst. Frustrating day.
Sorry. Rare emotional outburst. Frustrating day.
rainman::|:|
macrumors 603
mhmm... try telling a 3-year old in hypothermia or an 89-year old in hyperthermia that they're wusses. right before they pass out and die...
paul
paul
5300cs
macrumors 68000
YES in Japan there's something called "natsu bate" which is Summer Fatigue. It gets so hot that you loose your appetite and are just drained day after day. It SUCKS.
My old apartment building had a brown roof, and when I came home at night and opened the front door, WHAM!! the heat hit me like a fist.
And I'm from Boston where it got really cold in Winter. From one extreme to the other
wdlove
macrumors P6
Originally posted by 5300cs
YES in Japan there's something called "natsu bate" which is Summer Fatigue. It gets so hot that you loose your appetite and are just drained day after day. It SUCKS.
My old apartment building had a brown roof, and when I came home at night and opened the front door, WHAM!! the heat hit me like a fist.
And I'm from Boston where it got really cold in Winter. From one extreme to the other
I have lived in Boston since 1984 and I would not call it really cold here. The winter before I left Nebraska we had one week where the T never rose above 0 for the day. Now that is cold!
wdlove
macrumors P6
Originally posted by 5300cs
Guess you missed the blizzard of '78 then
I guess I'm just a wuss then; I HATE cold weather. Boston winters used to piss me off.
A little chilly is OK, but give me 95 degrees anytime
We had plenty of severe blizzards in Nebraska also.
In the summer we could have the T hit 101. At least there it was a low humidity. In Boston the humidity is often stifling in Boston.
patrick0brien
macrumors 68040
-wdlove
And here in Chicago, redundant sentence structures are redundantly redundant.
Zion Grail
macrumors regular
/* devilish grin */
Precisely. Which is why we must move away from fossil fuels. Solar energy is already down to around $.08/kWh or so, which matches most power costs in the US for home. Wind is even cheaper, and is very much underutilized.
It won't happen overnight, but if we organize it right, in 20 years we could have a power grid running off "clean" power, and even become almost completely energy independent once again (which means we stop funneling money to places like Saudi Arabia, which fund terrorists). Cleaner environment, energy independence, and a foundation for the future. Awesome.
razorme
macrumors regular
Originally posted by Zion Grail
/* devilish grin */
Precisely. Which is why we must move away from fossil fuels. Solar energy is already down to around $.08/kWh or so, which matches most power costs in the US for home. Wind is even cheaper, and is very much underutilized.
I believe it is $8 per watt to buy the solar equipment. The cost to operate should be next to nil (except to replace batteries or equipment failures down the road).
To pay out, $8000 per kilowatt for solar equipment vs $0.08 per kilowatt hour = 100,000 hours of electricity use to break even. This is 11 years of continuous use!
I heard that solar was expected to take off once the cost to install reached about $4 per watt.
Counterfit
macrumors G3
Exactly!