Quote:"A Storm Waiting To Happen": The Average American's Power Bill Is About To Rise As Much As 30%



by Tyler Durden
Fri, 07/03/2020 - 21:25

     

Today in "The Fed can't find inflation anywhere" news, it looks as though the average American's 2020 is going to go from bad to worse. Bloomberg is reporting that with rising temperatures during what is expected to be a blistering summer, most consumers are about to face "sharp increases" in electric bills that could "drive some to the brink of financial ruin". 
That's a serious claim to make about a power bill, but the facts are there to back it up. People that are stuck at home instead of at the office this summer are going to depend on air conditioners far more than they used to. This will drive up power bills by "25% in parts of the U.S.," according to the report. This comes at a time where about 50 million people are experiencing financial hardships.
Working from home has already increased residential demand for electricity by 15% during work hours, according to Innowatts, a utility consultant. Con Ed has warned customers bills could go up 10% this summer and in California, the average bill may rise by 25% to over $200, the state's Public Utilities Commission has warned. 
In parts of the U.S. south, prices could rise as much as 30%, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists. 

The increases could amount to as much as $50 per month, the report says, and will disproportionately affect many who are already struggling through the pandemic.  

Sindy Benavides, chief executive officer of the League of United Latin American Citizens said: “There will be people faced with figuring out whether to pay their bill or put food on the table. It’s a storm waiting to happen.”
Lower income families spend about 9% of their budget on energy bills, according to the report. The problem disproportionately affects Black and Hispanic families who are twice as likely to live in poverty, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy and the U.S. Census Bureau.
Jacqui Patterson, director of the NAACP’s environmental and climate justice program, said: “People will start to make very tough choices. It’s another situation where people are paying the price of poverty with their lives.”

A long hot summer is being predicted for most of the U.S. this year and places like California have already dealt with two serious heat waves. New York, Boston and Philadelphia have already reached or exceeded 90 degrees this year. 
Jim Rouiller, lead forecaster at the Energy Weather Group, said: “We have made the turn into what is going to become a long summer of heat.”
Jeremiah Bohr, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh concluded: “It highlights the larger issue of how difficult it is to make ends meet.”

(07-04-2020, 10:40 AM)Ninurta Wrote: I grew up frequently ignoring electricity, 'cause it wasn't there to notice. They can do this price hike if they like, but it won't affect me other than letting the internet go because - no electricity to run it. I know how to stay cool, I know how to get light, and I don't need electricity for either of those.

The down side for them is no longer being able to track me, because - no internet, no juice, no nothing. They might THINK they could track my phone, but if there's no juice to charge it, there's no reason to take it with me to be tracked. They'd have to get their asses out in the heat to find out where I was and what I'm up to. A very unpleasant prospect for them, but I can hide if they can stand to seek.

Now the State is screwing with my pension again, so no money to pay their highway robbery electric rates anyhow.


Seriously, folks - screw with my juice. See how that goes for you - I already know it'll go fine for me. Been there, done that, checked it off and got the t-shirt. Yeah, I know how to get heat in the winter without it, too, there ain't no lessons y'all think you can teach me in the matter that are going to take.

Go ahead, ya bastards. Cut off my money, cut off my electricity, keep thinking you'll bring me to my knees. It ain't gonna happen. All you'll do is lose track of me - I'll be doing fine, and still doing as I please, unsupervised. That can get very bad for YOU, not so much for ME.

Come at me, bro.

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(10-18-2022, 04:39 PM)Snarl Wrote: The best trick is to find 'your way' to get out of paying taxes ... and become self-sufficient. Stop buying _crap_ and convert some of your fiat currency into stuff you can barter with or store long-term while you still can. Especially things you know you're not gonna find locally or stuff you're gonna use up. Cooking oil, sugar, salt (lots of salt), beans, rice ... are all affordable and serve well as hold-out rations. Develop a method of collecting and storing a LOT of water. Worry about purifying it later ... but, don't forget you need more water than you think you need right now.



I've set aside a ton of reloading components and a respectable stash of arrows. If you don't yet have tools for harvesting wood ... get them now while they're available ... you'll need an axe, a saw and a maul ... don't forget extra handles and metal wedges.  Might be good to have a file on-hand for sharpening. Good to have a rake and a tarp for hauling smaller sticks and kindling. Get yourself a shovel, a couple 2X4s and a sheet of 3/4in plywood in case you need to bury something you don't want other people to get at. Seek and find a wood-burning stove (you don't even have to have this indoors ... though it's really nice if you can).



If you live anywhere near where you've seen deer ... buy stuff that will draw them in.  Deer have a sense of smell that's equivalent to our ability to see (around corners even).  You toss some deer corn up in the air at dusk, they will smell it and come right in. Voilà ... you've got a freezer full of non-GMO meat. Got no electricity for your freezer? ... See the reference to salt above. Buy yourself a 50lb bag of birdseed and feed the doves. A simple weighted net can bag you a dozen with a quick snatch of a line. You just have to set the stage for when the play is gonna start.

(10-18-2022, 10:27 PM)Ninurta Wrote:

(10-18-2022, 04:39 PM)Snarl Wrote: The best trick is to find 'your way' to get out of paying taxes ... and become self-sufficient. Stop buying _crap_ and convert some of your fiat currency into stuff you can barter with or store long-term while you still can. Especially things you know you're not gonna find locally or stuff you're gonna use up. Cooking oil, sugar, salt (lots of salt), beans, rice ... are all affordable and serve well as hold-out rations. Develop a method of collecting and storing a LOT of water. Worry about purifying it later ... but, don't forget you need more water than you think you need right now.

I've set aside a ton of reloading components and a respectable stash of arrows. If you don't yet have tools for harvesting wood ... get them now while they're available ... you'll need an axe, a saw and a maul ... don't forget extra handles and metal wedges.  Might be good to have a file on-hand for sharpening. Good to have a rake and a tarp for hauling smaller sticks and kindling. Get yourself a shovel, a couple 2X4s and a sheet of 3/4in plywood in case you need to bury something you don't want other people to get at. Seek and find a wood-burning stove (you don't even have to have this indoors ... though it's really nice if you can).

If you live anywhere near where you've seen deer ... buy stuff that will draw them in.  Deer have a sense of smell that's equivalent to our ability to see (around corners even).  You toss some deer corn up in the air at dusk, they will smell it and come right in. Voilà ... you've got a freezer full of non-GMO meat. Got no electricity for your freezer? ... See the reference to salt above. Buy yourself a 50lb bag of birdseed and feed the doves. A simple weighted net can bag you a dozen with a quick snatch of a line. You just have to set the stage for when the play is gonna start.

I live in "salt lick" country. These hollers were originally settled by a couple of brothers, "Long Hunters", who were drawn here by the abundance of game brought in by the salt licks. It's just a matter of finding a spring near a lick and rendering the salt out of the water.

I frequently see deer in my yard, or just outside the perimeter fence trying to figure out how to get in. And then there are the bears. There's a lot of meat, and a lot of fat, on a bear.

I know how to make jerky, and pemmican. Not a great taste, Kind of bland, but it'll keep your belt buckle from slapping your backbone around.

I never was able to get used to A/C, so I don't have it. We've got one unit, a window unit, in Grace's son's room, but he keeps the door shut when it's running so i don't get froze out. Heat's more of a problem - plenty of wood here, but the wood stove got taken out years and years ago, so I've not got one. Push comes to shove, I reckon I can make one, though.

I've got a couple pounds of powder, and the stuff to make a few more pounds if I need it. What I need most firearms-wise right now is a few ingots of pure soft lead.

We had scads and scads of black walnuts last year, but not so many this year. That's the way nature will do you sometimes. Throw stuff in stores when you can get it, for use when you can't.

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