[Rhodes22-list] Good News - Gas Prices Falling

[Brad Haslett]

Saroj,

GM has an Opel Astra diesel-electric hybrid that is supposed to appear in
Europe in 07. The expected price increase is about $8000 so the breakeven
point is a bit high. Volkswagon and Toyoto have both built prototypes but no
info on when or if they will come to market.

I still favor concrete over SIP's but you're on the right path with SIP's
and geothermal.  My favorite SIP is from a manufacturer in Florida that uses
concrete board on both sides instead of OSB board.  SIP building lends a lot
of flexibility to style but the biggest drawback is finding subcontractors
who know how to work with them.

We've had our bamboo floors down for about a year now with no problems.
Take a look at bamboo if you haven't already. I wanted to do a stained
concrete floor in our addition but my builder gave me one of those 'RCA dog'
looks so we didn't do it.  If I build another house I'm going to take a
serious look at concrete floors and a green roof.

Good luck,

Brad


On 9/15/06, Saroj Gilbert <saroj at pathfind.net> wrote:
>
> I've heard the deisel - electric cars are available in Europe now.. so
> maybe
> not so far away.
>
> I am planning on geothermal which should certainly help with the
> cooling...
> as it turns out I have to dig a well on this property even though it is
> fairly Urban... a very old and small neighborhood where most have wells
> already so no impetus to provide city water.  which is just fine with me.
> The well drilling company I plan to use already has experience drilling
> the
> geothermal holes as well... so one-stop shopping.
>
> Also already planning on the SIP approach... trying to blend the
> energy-efficiency with some interesting architecture aside from the
> typical
> Colonial or brick ranch that is common in this area.  Thought seriously
> about doing a dome, but decided against it for this area for
> asset-protection reasons.
>
> Thanks for the good info!
>
> Saroj
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Brad Haslett" <flybrad at gmail.com>
> To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> Sent: Friday, September 15, 2006 1:01 PM
> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Good News - Gas Prices Falling
>
>
> Bill & Saroj,
>
> Bill, the Jetta will work for me.  I've owned a couple of early 80's
> diesel
> Rabbits and a diesel Audi 4000 (same drive train) The Rabbit hatchback is
> coming back but I prefer a sedan.  I flew GDL, Mexico all last month where
> the Jetta is built.  They just settled their strike and hopefully the
> quality will be good.
>
> Saroj, diesel-hybrids are off the shelf technology and my company did a
> joint-venture with Eaton to produce diesel-hybrid delivery trucks.  Duh!
> Think trains and WW2 submarines.  You should expect 80mpg+ when they come
> but when will that be?  I'll move earlier and go with a straight diesel
> and
> hope for rapeseed biodiesel.  The only way to go with the home is
> insulated
> concrete forms and geo-thermal radiant heating.  Cooling is another issue.
> A nuke powerplant running A/C is the ticket.  You have no control where
> your
> electrons come from but they probably come from coal.
>
> Didn't we have this same discussion in the 70's?
>
> Brad
>
>
> On 9/15/06, Saroj Gilbert <saroj at pathfind.net> wrote:
> >
> > I hear you on that... as for me... I'm looking to diesel hybrid for my
> > next
> > car... and currently doing intensive research on how to make my new
> house
> > (yet to be built) use as little non-renewable energy as possible...
> quite
> > an
> > interesting exploration for me... refreshing information that I hadn't
> > read
> > too much about since I subscribed to Mother Earth News in the
> > 70's.  Heating
> > shouldn't be a problem but dealing with the hot, humid summers will be
> > challenging.
> >
> > Its hard to balance the economics on electricity usage in this area (S.E
> .
> > VA) since it is so very low... 6 cents a KW if I remember correctly;
> > however
> > I feel strongly about it and will do whatever I can... luckily I work
> out
> > of
> > my home and the new house will be so close to a lot of services that I
> > should be able to ride the bike a lot of places.
> >
> > Saroj
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Brad Haslett" <flybrad at gmail.com>
> > To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> > Sent: Friday, September 15, 2006 11:54 AM
> > Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Good News - Gas Prices Falling
> >
> >
> > Saroj,
> >
> > Maybe, I don't agree with all the premises of the article but everything
> > does line up for a fall, just not as far as the author suggested.  The
> > unfortunate repercussion is that it will encourage us to go back to our
> > foolish ways.  Peak Oil is coming!  The folks who have the most oil are
> > still the same folks who hate us the most.  The two fastest growing oil
> > consuming nations, China and India, aren't slowing down. China doesn't
> > give
> > a shit about anything but China, and they're cutting deals everywhere
> for
> > every commodity.  I can't make my jet or our equipment burn less fuel,
> but
> > my next car *will *get 50mpg+.  Hopefully it won't smell like shrimp.
> >
> > Brad
> >
> >
> > On 9/15/06, Saroj Gilbert <saroj at pathfind.net> wrote:
> > >
> > > That would be good news...
> > >
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "Brad Haslett" <flybrad at gmail.com>
> > > To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> > > Sent: Friday, September 15, 2006 9:23 AM
> > > Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Good News - Gas Prices Falling
> > >
> > >
> > > <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/home/>
> > >
> > > Thursday, September 14, 2006 - 12:00 AM
> > >
> > > *.*
> > >
> > > **
> > > *
> > > **Analyst predicts plunge in gas prices*
> > >
> > > *By Kevin G. Hall*
> > > *McClatchy Newspapers*
> > >
> > > WASHINGTON — The recent sharp drop in the global price of crude oil
> > could
> > > mark the start of a massive sell-off that returns gasoline prices to
> > lows
> > > not seen since the late 1990s — perhaps as low as $1.15 a gallon.
> > >
> > > "All the hurricane flags are flying" in oil markets, said Philip
> > Verleger,
> > > a
> > > noted energy consultant who was a lone voice several years ago in
> > warning
> > > that oil prices would soar. Now, he says, they appear to be poised for
> a
> > > dramatic plunge.
> > >
> > > Crude-oil prices have fallen about $14, or roughly 17 percent, from
> > their
> > > July 14 peak of $78.40. After falling seven straight days, they rose
> > > slightly Wednesday in trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange, to
> > > $63.97, partly in reaction to a government report showing fuel
> > inventories
> > > a
> > > bit lower than expected. But the overall price drop is expected to
> > > continue,
> > > and prices could fall much more in the weeks and months ahead.
> > >
> > > Here's why:
> > >
> > > For most of the past two years, oil prices have risen because the
> > world's
> > > oil producers have struggled to keep pace with growing demand,
> > > particularly
> > > from China and India. Spare oil-production capacity grew so tight that
> > > market players feared that any disruption to oil production could
> create
> > > shortages.
> > >
> > > Fear of disruption focused on fighting in Nigeria, escalating tensions
> > > over
> > > Iran's nuclear program, violence between Israel and Lebanon that might
> > > spread to oil-producing neighbors, and the prospect that hurricanes
> > might
> > > topple oil facilities in the Gulf of Mexico.
> > >
> > > Oil traders bet that such worrisome developments would drive up the
> > future
> > > price of oil. Oil is traded in contracts for future delivery, and
> > > companies
> > > that take physical delivery of oil are just a small part of total
> > trading.
> > > Large pension and commodities funds are the big traders and they're
> > > seeking
> > > profits. They've sunk $105 billion or more into oil futures in recent
> > > years,
> > > according to Verleger. Their bets that oil prices would rise in the
> > future
> > > bid up the price of oil.
> > >
> > > That, in turn, led users of oil to create stockpiles as cushions
> against
> > > supply disruptions and even higher future prices. Now inventories of
> oil
> > > are
> > > approaching 1990 levels.
> > >
> > > But many of the conditions that drove investors to bid up oil prices
> are
> > > ebbing. Tensions over Israel, Lebanon and Nigeria are easing. The
> > > hurricane
> > > season has presented no threat so far to the Gulf of Mexico. The U.S.
> > peak
> > > summer driving season is over, so gasoline demand is falling.
> > >
> > > With fear of supply disruptions ebbing, oil prices began sliding. With
> > oil
> > > inventories high, refiners that turn oil into gasoline are expected to
> > cut
> > > production. As refiners cut production, oil companies increasingly
> risk
> > > getting stuck with excess oil supplies. There's already anecdotal
> > evidence
> > > of oil companies chartering tankers to store excess oil.
> > >
> > > All this is turning financial markets increasingly bearish on oil.
> > >
> > > "If we continue to build inventories, and if we have a warm winter
> like
> > we
> > > had last winter, you could see a large fall in the price of oil," said
> > > Gary
> > > Pokoik, who manages Hedge Ventures Energy in Los Angeles, an energy
> > hedge
> > > fund. "I think there is still a lot of risk in the market."
> > >
> > > As it stands now, the recent oil-price slump has brought the national
> > > average for a gallon of unleaded gasoline down to $2.59, according to
> > the
> > > AAA motor club. In the Seattle area, prices per gallon have fallen to
> > > $2.856
> > > currently from $3.071 a month ago, a decline of 7 percent, according
> to
> > > AAA.
> > >
> > > Should oil traders fear that this downward price spiral will get worse
> > and
> > > run for the exits by selling off their futures contracts, Verleger
> said,
> > > it's not unthinkable that oil prices could return to $15 or less a
> > barrel,
> > > at least temporarily. That could mean gasoline prices as low as $1.15
> > per
> > > gallon.
> > >
> > > Other experts won't guess at a floor price, but they agree that a race
> > to
> > > the bottom could break out.
> > >
> > > "The market may test levels here that are too low to be sustained,"
> said
> > > Clay Seigle, an analyst at Cambridge Energy Research Associates, a
> > > consultancy in Boston.
> > >
> > > On Monday, the oil-producing cartel OPEC hinted that if prices fall
> > > precipitously, OPEC members would cut production to lift them. But
> that
> > > would take time.
> > >
> > > "That takes six to nine months. If we don't have a really cold winter
> > here
> > > [creating a demand for oil], prices will fall. Literally, you don't
> know
> > > where the floor is," Verleger said. "In a market like this, if things
> > > start
> > > falling ... prices could take you back to the 1999 levels. It has
> > nothing
> > > to
> > > do with production."
> > >
> > > <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/news/general/copyright.html>
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