Why haven't gas prices gone down?

goingplacesanddoingstuff said:
Solar panels are so good and cheap now, I’m not sure the costs really get in the way anymore.

The barrier is more just know-how and regulatory.
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Regulatory comes into play when you want to connect to the grid or try disconnecting from it (not allowed in Cali)

One can do pretty much whatever you want if you never intend to connect with it.

I was hard 20 years ago when I started playing with it. The new stuff can be installed and managed by total amatuers that are handy and careful.
 
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goingplacesanddoingstuff said:
Solar panels are so good and cheap now, I’m not sure the costs really get in the way anymore.

The barrier is more just know-how and regulatory.
Click to expand...
You can't just buy a bunch of panels and connect them to the grid. You can't just buy a bunch of panels and use them. Even if after all the other stuff the ROI is positive - which it still is not in most places - sun varies by location - you still need to be "approved" to connect to the grid, or go off grid and buy storage which is not cheap.

Net metering in most places is not at lucrative rates. Net metering for Dominion energy in South Carolina is $20 a month (fee) to do so and $0.01 net metering for your excess electricity, unless you buy there system then you waive the fee and give you $0.10 per kWh - and they charge you around 14 cents kw/h. Oh and there systems are not cheap at all.
 
SC Maintenance said:
ROI on solar depends on location. Here it was never great, and since I knew I would not be staying forever the ROI on selling one is likely even worse. Until such time as the tech priced for storage / completely off grid is better I think it stays that way.

If it works for you thats great, honestly. I just don't think it works for the majority. As far as that goes, I trust XOM more than I do Dominion and there government lackies, so I stick with gasoline. Prices will never stay high. The cure for high prices is high prices. Vs electricity where there is zero competition - they tell you what to pay, and you pay - there profit is guaranteed.
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ROI dépends on a lot of things, location being one.

ROI also depends on the cost of what you actually offset with what you generate.
There is little ROI in displacing .10 electricity but when you start displacing expensive fuel, the ROI changes.

For sure it doesn't work for everyone, but for people that want more independence it's there to be had.

I have way more control of what I do with my own land and resources than I do over a global product with a 10K mile supply chain.
 
Just now i saw in 21911 area code
$3.59 regular and Diesel at a juicy $4.76 .... It's on.......
 
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SC Maintenance said:
You can't just buy a bunch of panels and connect them to the grid. You can't just buy a bunch of panels and use them. Even if after all the other stuff the ROI is positive - which it still is not in most places - sun varies by location - you still need to be "approved" to connect to the grid, or go off grid and buy storage which is not cheap.

Net metering in most places is not at lucrative rates. Net metering for Dominion energy in South Carolina is $20 a month (fee) to do so and $0.01 net metering for your excess electricity, unless you buy there system then you waive the fee and give you $0.10 per kWh - and they charge you around 14 cents kw/h. Oh and there systems are not cheap at all.
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I hate Dominion Energy, especially after their handling of the power restoration following Helene. They recently applied for rate increases yet again, as if they didn't profit $2.6 billion last year.
 
21 years ago here in Maryland gas blew up to $3.65 a gallon overnight due to Katrina
Pretty drastic....
 
Gas is $3.02 at BJ's today with their CC.
IMG_1914.webp
 
I have several gas rewards cards from my credit card deals...might be a good time to use them.... I usually save them for gifts or travel...
 
The last time I filled up was Sunday night at the Costco near my girlfriend’s house and it was $1.189 a liter (which works out to $3.32 US a gallon). That same station tonight is at $1.399 a liter ($3.90 US a gallon). And tomorrow the price will rise by 6 more cents a liter 😡
 
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SC Maintenance said:
We have more than enough oil for ourselves. Even with our current refining, at minimum we have plenty in the Western Hemisphere.

Current oil prices were 100% caused, not market driven. Of course some will continue to chant the navy for oil mantra when its opposite.

In the meantime, a shadow tanker that carries typically Iranian LNG just traversed the Strait. Furthers my point.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...rough-strait-of-hormuz?embedded-checkout=true
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I wouldn't say it was caused but rather an excuse presented itself. Everybody in the chain from people buying futures to the gas station all jump at any excuse to make a buck knowing there is nothing the consumer can do. We've seen the same across the board increases in everything for the necessities. Labor, material and everything has had the maximum profit squeezed out of it. Now we are seeing forced profit increases across the board. We are at the tipping point between haves and have nots. Thats what I think anyway.
 
SC Maintenance said:
You can't just buy a bunch of panels and connect them to the grid. You can't just buy a bunch of panels and use them. Even if after all the other stuff the ROI is positive - which it still is not in most places - sun varies by location - you still need to be "approved" to connect to the grid, or go off grid and buy storage which is not cheap.

Net metering in most places is not at lucrative rates. Net metering for Dominion energy in South Carolina is $20 a month (fee) to do so and $0.01 net metering for your excess electricity, unless you buy there system then you waive the fee and give you $0.10 per kWh - and they charge you around 14 cents kw/h. Oh and there systems are not cheap at all.
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Right, like I said: knowledge and regulatory hurdles.

The systems are cheap. You just have to know how to source and install them.
 
Diesel's been going up bigtime. It's up $1.30 from last week.

I have a small diesel heater running in the garage and can't draw oil from hy heating tank for some reason ... so I've been buying 5 gallons at a time to keep the heater going. I thought I'd be able to stop watching diesel prices after switching the house to gas. ha




FZ1 said:
It is what it is. 2.89 yesterday in "Big D", 3.19 today.
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Don't mean Dallas?
 
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