Actually, zinc_man, there are many cars which come from the factory able to run ethanol ("E85"). Their mileage on ethanol isn't as good as it is with gasoline, but it's an option for them. As for your earlier comment ("Gas could go up to 5$ a gallon and people are stupid enough to pay for it.Boycot it for a few days and it will come down but no one wants to sacrifice and are to comfortable in there everyday lifes"), that simply is not an option for many people. Live a fair distance from work? Maybe that was a choice -- or maybe, courtesy of America's mania for corporate mergers and reduced "headcount," you now live quite a ways from your new job. Many good-sized metropolitan areas have pretty poor mass transit, too, so that's not much of an option unless you have a lot of free time. Vehicle choice is similar. You can opt to make an SUV or pickup or a high-performance car your daily single-occupant commuter. In that case, you pay the freight -- it was your choice. Or you sell it for what you can get and move on. But there are people who need the power of an SUV or pickup for towing, or work in rough terrain, etc. It's a shame that the cost of doing their business goes up because the price of fuel skyrockets, but it is a cost of their business just as everything else is, and unless they can find some magic way to do without it, they'll pay the price almost no matter what it is. More correctly, we'll pay the price, since we buy their goods and services. I think that, at a time when oil companies are announcing record profits, there's something fishy going on. But not buying gas on Tuesday when you'll just have to buy it on Wednesday isn't much of a protest, and some folks just don't have the choice.

Good morning, I knew there would be people who were as obssessed as I am with this data! To respond to the questions (in no particular order): Yes, my DH reports that we will be able to break out the machines' components (motors vs heater) individual electrical draws. My machines have at least two motors: drain pump and drum rotator/spin. It was easy to see them in the graph as it was happening, but we will need more experience to be able to accurately capture all the data. As far as the efficiency of energy used by an internal heater vs a DHW appliance, Dadoes is correct. It's a theoretical wash (LOL!). Our DHW is electric, not propane, so fuel is identical. There is also no loss of temp in the pipes (though that heat wouldn't be wasted as it's under the house, anyway). In theory, allowing for age and any scale on the calrods, it should take precisely the same energy in both appliances. Functionally as livebetter pointed out, however, beefy internal heaters fed only cold water provide the very-useful "profile wash" characteristic. (Profile washes are a deliberate stepped rise in temps that improves washing perferformance.) In addition, an on-board heater also allows the machine to maintain the desired temp throughout the whole wash phase, which I believe improves washing performance as well. As far as loopholes in the mandated energy ratings, I believe that may be at play these days, particularly for the newest generations of machines (mine are 15-19 years old). However I think heating water is less of an issue there than overall water use requirements. Nunyabiz noted my use of high temps as being atypical. I agree, but point out that I also use very little detergent compared to many. That's obviously a function of my good water quality, but I also can get away with using less partly because I use higher temps because temperature, time, agitation energy and detergent are all wrapped up together in the cleaning equation. Of course, I almost never wash clothes at 190F, just linens, cleaning cloths and pet bedding which can stand it. In addition to the profound cleaning these items get, the regular use of higher temps keeps my washer clean of bio-film and product build-up, etc. No small thing for FLs, it seems. (Overnight, I did another load similar to #2 & 3 and it's energy cost was 22 cents. But that's without the extra "starch" cycle which has to be selected manually after the progam is finished. I will check and see what it costs, all by itself.) It seems to me that heating the water, particularly for people who choose more "more normal" max temps, is not the cost driver on each load. My DH reports the machine's vampire load is a stable 3 watts; let's see, 3 x 24 x 365 = 26 KWH/year or $3.90 year. Except I have more than one washing machine .... Anyway, now that I know that, a big ole circuit-opening switch will be high on my DH's honey-do list. More data (and more details) as I organize them. L.

Everyone's votes of confidence certainly helped. I had our old realtor come by and look at our house yesterday and it was very disappointing. She has not come back with a figure yet, but I have a feeling it will be about $120 thou versus the 150 I was hoping for. About the only thing that she was very positive about was our acryllic one piece shower. Sigh. She asked if we could turn our rather large garage into a double (it has only one door but is large) and asked if we had ever put in a sprinkler system. AND than suggested that we really needed to finish every project so it would be "move in ready". She also mentioned that she would have kept the trim painted white instead of stripping it like I did. She did admit to me that she is personally the type of person that does not like the thought of doing work on a house and she needs to go back to the office and do some reasearch before she can come up with suggestions. My DH and I discussed about checking with one another realtor in town. I feel bad about it since she is one that sold us this house and has been a friend/aquaintance to us over the years. But if she can't see this house's positives, how can she sell it well for us? We live in one of those towns where 1/3 of the homes were built in 1920's, 1/3 middle century, 1/3 built in the last 15 years. Our home would be the only older home for sale in the "nicer" NW side fo town. A house for sale on our corner is being listed for 265, when I asked her about that price she came back that it has had a "very expensive" addition with high tech appliances. My guess is they ripped our everything old and put in new stuff. Most of the other older homes for sale in town are in a mixed neighborhood where next door can be a multi-family half-kept-up rental, ours is pure residential on a quiet street. A couple of the older nicer homes in these other neighborhoods are being listed at 150-200, but they also do not have new roofs, new wiring and new plumbing and new furnace and heat pump like ours does. I can't help but feel that that alone is worth a TON of money to an old house lover. Ah, the joys of a market economy, no such thing as a simple formula. Anyhow, just thought I'd vent..... If you want to drool a bit look at the one we are thinking of buying. It has an old boiler, half of it is knob and tube electrical wiring, some water damaged areas that will need repair, and a high rise next door on a busy 4 lane street. No one else wants it because of those things, we want it since it is zoned for offices and we can fit our home business in the attic or basement. It recently had a price drop from 200 to 169. Here is a link that might be useful: Drool House

Well I am so very fortunate I was able to create my life away from so many people. To some living in a city of 150-180 people,not thousand, might be too remote. For me it is perfect. But then I lived in a town of 39 people growing to 42 people 3 years later. I guess I am a hermit. I would not survive in this crowded lifestyle. We do not have money or fancy things. Nor do we live a high lifestyle. To us going to subway for a five dollar foot long we split and water is the height of a dinner out. Being the city clerk here I get some behind the scenes governmental doings. I saw lots of bad boy stuff and so far have most of it has been stopped. This bad boy stuff was NOT in favor of the people. This was in favor of filling the bad boy's pockets with $$$ They wanted the big development. Only problem here is there are no jobs or infrastructure to support this development. the bad boys were in construction. What did they care if they ruin the town as long as they got their money for building the roads and houses. What happens to this tiny city after devil may care. I know many of you have had trouble with city/government control. Believe me I got run over by a city doing once too. Broke my heart to have to leave a cottage I loved and have showed pictures of here many times. NOW I do have some control of what happens in the city and the controls they try to put on, or not put on, people. Not that the clerk has any power but I do know how to find out what is legal and make sure the council makes sound and legal decisions for our city. These people in China are used to living this way. It is their culture. I think that is just fine. All I was saying is I can not live that way. I fought for 16 years saving money and learning to live off the land so I could live rurally comfortably. Totally agree it is a sad deal many have in the way they are forced to live because there seems to be no way out. Breaks my heart for them. I felt trapped too before I left California. But I was so miserable I just did something about it. If they are not miserable living this way they I am happy for them. I wish I had a closer view of the shrouds on the buildings.That would be interesting to see. I kind of figured it could be for safety. For workers and those below. Chris