Friday, July 11, 2008

We're Regressing To Wood Burning Stoves

On a cold winter's night, what is more romantic than a crackling fire burning underneath a decorative mantle, reading stories and what not as the snow blows outside? Well I'll tell you what is not right about burning wood, to keep people warm across the colder regions of our country because heating oil is too expensive. Heating oil companies are going out of business because people can't afford the high prices and would rather chop down some more trees to keep the cold out this coming winter.

From RawStory:

Record prices for home heating oil are rippling across America's northern regions, stoking demand for wood stoves and other alternatives, and forcing some heating oil companies out of business.[...]

The Massachusetts Oilheat Council estimates that heating oil prices in New England are now around $4.65 a gallon, up 116 percent since 2005. It expects prices to keep rising as the market tracks record-high crude oil prices.

Many homeowners are searching for alternatives to oil. Sales of wood-burning stoves -- in use since before American independence from Britain -- are brisk, even as customers don shorts and bask in summer weather outside.

"Demand for wood pellet stoves has tripled. We're pre-sold out until probably the New Year," said Tim Bushey, manager at Frost & Flame in Gorham, Maine, which sells wood stoves and stoves that burn wood pellets.


Is this really where American consumers need to be looking? Unfortunately it is the only economically viable option, thanks to the non-existent planning by the Bush Administration. He doesn't mind paying higher prices to keep the White House warm (because the taxpayers foot the bill) this winter but as for the rest of us, especially those up north, he doesn't really care. If he did, something would be done to help people, and he would have implemented policies several years ago to find alternate energy sources to wean us off of oil. Of course, he's an failed oilman, so why would he?