Reducing My Utilities Bills

Maybe it is time to revamp the tax system...

We need to move away from taxing income to taxing consumption. Much of the reason why the present economic problems we have are occuring is because we (collectively) spent more then we earned. If we tax consumption more and reduce income taxes that would encourage more savings.

Yes, raise gas taxes and energy taxes and decrease income taxes. Just an idea. 

I don't want to be taxed more just taxed differently. This would encourage savings.

Now only if Congress could not recieve any pay until the government has a surplus and starts paying down it debt.

Aaron

Tight economic times require investing in your homes and yourselves

I have been saving for home repairs and planning for a while. But, I was listienng to someone say that they were saving money by not replacing thier car tires and not fixing thier home. This may be very foolish. Look I understand the tendancy I have tight on money before. But, sending a few bucks to save more bucks makes sense. Do it incrementallym to be honest the reason why I am stress less about the money I have spent on the new appliances is I save more then enough to cover them with the home projects I have done. Then yes a spent a little more by efficient appliances. The incremental saving on these is enough to cover the minor cost saving over the first year or two of ownership.

Hopefully I can save enough for the new AC unit which will problaly make sense to replace in the next year or two due to effiency savings. Also, the washer will probably need to be replaced in the next year or so and last and also expensive is the Kitchen fidge/freezer. 

Aaron

If the US wants to help themselves financially we need to consume less...

If the US wants to help themselves financial we need to consume less energy.

The tax code should reflect that. Higher taxes on gas (not desiel) and lower income taxes. Since desiel is used to transport goods I think it should be largely left alone. However, gas taxes your be raised and an amount equal to the income they bring in should then be used to lower income taxes. 

This would incent the US consumer to use fuel more wisely while not increasing the tax burden.

Aaron

I don't like taxes but...

As gas prices drop and California is have major buget shortfalls maybe it it is time to consider tacking an extra 25 cents a gallon to gasoline.

However since I don't trust California not to waste all of it I want half of the money to taxpayers not the power companies or oil companies to do home energy improvements. 

With a particular effort on cutting consumer electric and heating bills while not reducing quality of life.

Aaron

Now that we are down to two presidential canidates...

Lets let them help the enviroment and help the country... It is one in the same...

Cut energy usage reduces CO2 while making us more energy independent.

But, to the enviromental movement chose you battles wisely home grown energy should not should not specify the type just the result. Yes we need to put solar panel it many more places in the desert southwest and wind on and offshore. These without a doubt will help on all fronts but, should not be help to insane and crazy enviromntal standards that are making us more energy dependent and not helping with CO2.

Sorry this may mean coal to fuel conversion (old technology) and shale oil but, we need promote these while limiting thier enviromental impact. 

To the polical folks trade and cap as it was designed is too flawed. In needs to be cap and maindate these companies help they customers cut the consumption therby bring thier numbers down while helping the customers be less impacted by future price changes.

Tax incentives and legal changes should encorage more energy developed at every home in the US. It should make it easy for all people to put solar and/or wind at their own homes without local interference regardless of property size and HOAs.

Also, CAFE standard needs to go up a lot and to encourage fast impacts  the car companies should be encourage to make improvements available on older cars at a reasonable price. For example computer updates and hybrid battery improvements. Also, aftermarket improvements should be encouraged as long as the reduce fuel consumption, For example if Toyota or Ford made fuel consumption improvements by improving they hybrid batteries those should be made available to existing customers same is true for plug-in enhancements. But event on non-hybrids there are always improvements but, not large incentive for the car companies to make theme available to existing customers.

Flex fuels mandate for all vehicles.

The other thing is... sorry this may not be politically correct, But, we need to set the system up such that we will product more biofuels as oil prices increases. This, was it will help cap the impact of oil internally while saying to the rest of the world we are sory food is getting more expensive but, yell at those who charge for oil. Note, many of those countries rely on food imports.

Make sure this is clear we are the largest consumer of oil in the world and most of the oil goes into our gas tank. If we cut that oil consumption in half that would help in every way. 2/3 would be even better.

Aaron

Climate change bill expected to fail for a silly reason

The climate change bill is expected to fail over adding costs to energy...

No duh...

It should fail. Instead of caps and funding lawyers the system should help families and businesses cut energy consumption. For example if a utility fails to meet its cap instead of paying extra to some foriegn country they should be required to pay to install solar panels in the US to offset they usage plus a penalty of customers of their product. This way we lower consumtion thereby lowering utilization and costs. Other offsets could be paying to replace AC unit with new high effiency ones. Oil companies would have to subsidize the replace of vehicles with high effiecency ones.

Also, increase the MPG by 3 or 4 times what it is and unclude SUVs and small trucks. And create MPG standards for big rigs and busses. If we cut utilization by 75% energy prices would actually drop.

I hate the trading system since the only one that makes money is the traders and real people and companies lose. Cap yes exceed you cap and the penalties should increase and be paid to your customers to help them not need your product. This will lower cost. 

What do you think,

Aaron

The election is approaching... think energy independence

It is time for the politicians to commit to binding plans to give not only the country energy independence but, lower the long term finacial impacts of energy cost to families.

• Instead of carbon trading to overseas make US and foriegn companies pay for solar on families homes in the US by helping to subside US families instead of farms in China or elsewhere. Keep the offsets at home. Upgrade public transportation, pay for families to upgrade cars, upgrade ventation equipment and weatherprof homes.
• Mandate ALL cars support flex fuel by 2015 - flexability opens posiblities.
• Close the looppoles in the CAFE standards and when determining the average wieght vehicles that are less than half the CAFE standard as half the actual MPG (extra penaties). No bonuses for flex fuels. 40 MPG by 2015 and 60 MPG by 2020.
• Give tax incentives to allow people to convert cars to E85 and to improved battery technologies for hybrids, upgrades to plug ins.
• Invest in other ethanol and biofuels not just corn.
• To the enviromental movement allow more wind power in more places, allow for more domestic oil development (such as shale) in exchange for a CAFE standard of 75 MPG by 2025. At least domestic developement can be required to follow enviromental constraints. Also, I want CAFE standards to increase 5% per year after that.

Personally I hope to be driving my exist new hybrid and my wife's eventual new one and upgrading them to plug-in and hopefully E85 depending on cost and availability.

To be honest I would not have a problem with coal to auto fuel coversion if done in an enviromentally sound manner. I figure home grown fuel can be regulated. OPEC can not.

I want the plan to target bring the cost of energy down while push more energy efficency. This will lower costs of everything including food and technology. If we can produce energy in a clean and safe way cheaper to we  can beat the low cost countries economically while having a high standard of living.

I believe I can upgrade my Camry Hybrid to a plug-in within 2 years that could get 100+ MPG for normal use. If is was to operate on E85 from cellose based ethanol I could my foreign dependency on oil.

I wan my cost for energy to be lest then 2% of my income by 2015. That my goal.

Start by doubling your MPG on your next car.

Aaron

50%+ of our trade deficit is oil

If the US was to become energy independent which it could do if we gave it our national commitment while not messing up the enviroment. That money along with the savings from all the consumers in the US would be better than any tax deal.

Some ideas (some old and new)...

• 75 MPG+ (prefer even higher) with a minimum of 40 MPG by 2025 or even higher. This will not give an undo advantage to the foriegn auto companies. The higher we raise the standard the less advantage 1 car company has over another.
• More home based Solar Electric Power. This way the consumer is keeping their money and not giving it to the electric utilities.
• Clean coal power or similiar technologies.
• More biofuels. Corn based ethanol is close to its limits until cellulose based ethanol comes online. We need other domestic options.
• Safe nuclear power.
• Plug in hybrids. Desiel/Plug in hybrids. Until we can move entirely to an electric car economy or similiar.
• Tax incentives to retire old gas guzzlers. Pay to get them off the road and scrapped. Like the police pay for guns. Similarly for AC and heating equipment.
• A clear federal mandate that gives ALL states permission to increase MPG standards and tighten emissions controls without the insanity of asking for a waver and it taking years.

Removing specific technology mandates only mandating the emissions and the consumption. Also remove regulations that make it harder for individuals to produce solar and wind power at home.

Why would a vehicle that gets 60+ MPG that does not need a catalytic converter to meet emissions requirements require one? What if it was a plugin hybrid that could run 100 miles on its charge and then got 60+ MPG (net 100+ MPG).

These should also limit the ability to slow projects down like wind farms on and off shore. They are of both national and enviromental interest. Yes, some birds may be hurt. But, for the overall benefit of the planet and the economy these projects should not be held up in legal limbo.

To envimentalists you can not play both sides of this equation.

I want the politician to answer this one.

If our recuring fuel costs and utilization were to rapidally drop that would give the US a great economic advantage in the world.

Personally if I could afford it in 10 years I would like to have my house be 100% electric (AC, heating and hot water all be electric) have a plug in hybrid who battery range would exceed that of my mormal driving and a solar and/or wind system that would have NO recurring cost to supply power to all of this and have enough extra to sell some back and make a bit of money. Good for me, the US and the envirment no matter where you stand on global warming.

Aaron

Since the primary season is under way...

I would like to see the polical canidates say where they stand on CAFE and the EPA decision against California. This should be something both parties agree on since it an enviromental issue and/or a national defense issue as well as an economic issue.

The more we reduce oil consumption the better off the economy our wallets and it would do more to reduce the funding of rouge states and terrorism world wide and well as improve the air and reduce CO2.

I would also like to see ALL specific pollution technology mandates removed. Catalytic converters and other equipment should not be required. Only the expected tailpipe emissions and MPG mandates and let the creativity and technology control how to get there.

One suggestion is to look at marring hybrid technology with a modern clean deasel.

If you are running for office no reteric please just a specific plan.

Similiarly COAL works for me if technology allows it to be clean. But, what technology power companies need to use should not be required just that it be clean to a specific level.

Aaron

One Small Step for Political wimps

Well the federal government raised the CAFE standards to 35 MPG by 2020. It should have been 40 by 2015 and 50 by 2020 with a minimum MPG of half that.

New York City at least is trying by saying taxis need to increase the MPS to 25 by 2008 and 30 by 2009.

The feds also blocked California's (and other states who wanted to follow California's lead) requests to put tighter controls on CO2 and fuel economy. How about instead of a lawsuit to fix this California say that ALL new cars and trucks that don't exceed the 35 MPG by 2015 pay a tax of $2000 per MPG below that number special sales tax this way the federal government can not have any say. They could also have it ramp up and use that money to waive sales taxes on ultra high efficiency vehicles and possibles offer more incentives for solar and other technologies in California and to retire some of the older polluting and gas hog junkers off the road.

I see this as a National Defense issue as well as an enviromental one. The auto industry should be ashamed if we can not get to 40 by 2015 and 50 by 2020 it is because we don't want to since with existing technolgy we are there. They are worried they will loose the higher margin SUVs.

Also, so that it does not get stuck in the politics it should increase automatically by 2 MPG per year.

I can buy several family sized cars with 35 MPG now and even some smaller SUVs (Nissan Altima Hybrid, Toyota Camary Hybrid, Ford Escape Hybrid, Honda Civic Hybrid, Chevy Malibu Hybrid just to name a few). A plug in versions of some of the existing hybrids with some more batterys and/or battery improvements could easily get us to 40.

My next car will get 35 MPG or more and be able to fit the whole family and be enjoyable to drive.

Reminder I think we should have a minimum MPG standard as well.

Aaron

Other good news this week includes the picking of a FutureGen site (near zero emissions coal plant). I think this a great idea personally (home grown power but, clean). http://www.fossil.energy.gov/programs/powersystems/futuregen/index.html