Gas prices are going up fast

[jimbee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GenXguy Not only did they hike our state gas tax a while back, which was already high, they set it up so that it would keep increasing automatically. Total cost is $4.49/gal now.

Illinois has been busy with fuel tax increases lately.

[Mr. Tightwad]

Haven't bought gas since August of 2018.

And my electric bill was $24 last month.

[Koolau]

I'm really trying to increase my mileage by using all my "tricks" - especially avoiding rush hour. So far, this tank-full, I'm up 4mpg (from 24 to 28.) YMMV

[Ronstar]

I need about 90 gallons of gas to finish our road trip, but I’ll be 80% feet and ebike after that.

[NameTaken2]

Disregard -incorrect

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NameTaken2 Higher gas prices = more gov't gas tax income. Nice.

I don't think this is an accurate statement. Gas is taxed per gallon, not as a percentage, so higher gas prices would not increase tax income.

[Ronstar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NameTaken2 Higher gas prices = more gov't gas tax income. Nice.

I suspect the opposite - at least in Illinois. Gas tax is a fixed amount per gallon. Higher gas prices will result in less gas consumption and therefore less gas tax revenue.

[NW-Bound]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Tightwad Haven't bought gas since August of 2018. And my electric bill was $24 last month.

When I visited my friend at his 2nd home in CA, he said the minimum electric charge in his town was $90. Included in that was some "free" kWhs, but of course he used much less than that when he was at his 1st home in Maryland.

At my metropolitan home, the minimum service charge is $20. No free kWh.

At my high-country boondocks home, the minimum service charge is $31. No free kWh.

[finnski1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound When I visited my friend at his 2nd home in CA, he said the minimum electric charge in his town was $90. Included in that was some "free" kWhs, but of course he used much less than that when he was at his 1st home in Maryland. At my metropolitan home, the minimum service charge is $20. No free kWh. At my high-country boondocks home, the minimum service charge is $31. No free kWh.

Yes and this is one of the reasons I kept talking myself out of home solar. We have a similar charge to be tied to the grid. Couple that with my location maybe getting 60-70 % of the energy I need and I can't justify it. My total annual electric bill for all of 2021 was just $865. So if I take 70% of that ($605) off it would be $260 +$25 *12=565.
There for I would only save about $300/year

[Midpack]

Get ready for higher highs...

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/bide...ry?id=83315763

Quote:

President Joe Biden will announce as early as Tuesday that the U.S. will ban imports of Russian oil, a source told ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Cecilia Vega. The White House said Tuesday morning that Biden has added a 10:45 a.m. event to his schedule about "actions to continue to hold Russia accountable for its unprovoked and unjustified war on Ukraine" but did not reveal more. About 8% of U.S. imports of crude oil and petroleum products came from Russia last year, according to preliminary U.S. government data; 3% of U.S. oil came from Russia. White House officials also say the impact on Russia, which sent just 1% of its oil exports to the U.S. in 2020, would not be great -- especially when its oil and gas sector is already "de facto sanctioned" because of harsh restrictions on Russian banks.

[ExFlyBoy5]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RetiredAndLovingIt I just paid $4.92 at a local Shell station today which was surprisingly cheaper than the other brands. The Circle K a few hundred yards away which is normally the cheapest in town was $5.29. This time I filled the tank, normally I just put $20 in since I'm not driving that much these days.

The Shell may not be cheaper anymore.

https://www.reuters.com/business/ene...as-2022-03-08/

[REWahoo]

I'm not sure how much impact a US ban on Russian oil will have on gas prices as we import very little. However, if the EU bans Russian oil, gas and diesel prices could hit levels we never imagined we would see.

[Zathras]

In my situation, my flat rate fees are also offset by my production.
On an annual basis, my utility cost is zero. There are 3 months in which I owe something, which are made up by the other months.
In Minnesota, solar is limited to 120% of annual use.

Solar rules and regulations can vary widely by state & utility. For anyone reading this, please check out your local regulations to see if it works well for you.

[MRG]

Saw a photo of a trucker filling up his rig yesterday, wasn't quite full only $999.99 because of pump limits. That was way back when diesel was only $4 a gallon.

[John Galt III]

Eastern Pa. Yesterday saw a sign for $4.49 a gallon. Guessing it will be $4.79 a gallon today. My conspiracy theory mentality tells me it's all greed. But of course I could be wrong, lol.

[NW-Bound]

Quote:

Originally Posted by finnski1 Yes and this is one of the reasons I kept talking myself out of home solar. We have a similar charge to be tied to the grid...

I understand the minimum service charge at my two AZ homes. It's for maintenance of the grid, and you have to pay that amount even if the only load you have is a night light. And I also understand why it is higher at my boondocks home ($31) compared to the charge at my metro home ($20). The difference is due to the difference in the population density, and the harsh winter weather up in the boondocks creating a higher risk of power line damage.

My friend in CA explained to me that his minimum charge of $90 which includes some "free" kWhs was intended to subsidize people who live in smaller dwellings. In fact, once you use up the "free" kWhs, what you pay per kWh will go up progressively in different tiers. If you use 2x, you may pay 4x.

The very high rate in the top tier is what makes people go for residential solar in these places.

When it comes to home solar systems, whether it makes sense or not depends heavily on the local rate structure and your consumption. Definitely, YMMV.

[Chuckanut]

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Galt III Eastern Pa. Yesterday saw a sign for $4.49 a gallon. Guessing it will be $4.79 a gallon today. My conspiracy theory mentality tells me it's all greed. But of course I could be wrong, lol.

And yet, I remember a few years ago when a gallon of regular almost broke through to under $2 a gallon. Was that a conspiracy also? I don't think so.

What doesn't go down is taxes and government fees. My state has a surplus of about 12 Billion dollars. A 1¢ decrease in the state sales tax was rejected. Instead, they are now trying to find a way to institute an income tax for the first time.

[statsman]

Organized my errand run today for three stores, minimal driving. Along the way, I noted most of the gas stations were at $3.79 (or higher) for regular here in Central Texas. Compared to most on this thread, that seems like a bargain.

I left Walmart and noticed their gas station was signed at $3.69. I thought this was a mistake, but decided to top off the tank since I was right there. That was the price at the pump. I quickly fueled up before they figured out they were priced at least $0.10 cheaper than everyone else.

[NW-Bound]

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Galt III Eastern Pa. Yesterday saw a sign for $4.49 a gallon. Guessing it will be $4.79 a gallon today. My conspiracy theory mentality tells me it's all greed. But of course I could be wrong, lol.

When supply is insufficient to meet demand, there has to be a way to reduce demand.

In a free-economy market, this is done via higher prices. It costs more, to make people use less.

The only other way to do it is via rationing. Everybody gets a coupon for 5 gallons, or something like that. Hmmm... Maybe only people who own a car. Do we allow a couple to have 2 cars? Or somehow, we can decide that Joan deserves 10 gal while John only gets 2 gal, because Joan drives into downtown to work, while John is a home-daddy.

I don't know if anyone could devise a rationing scheme that works out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuckanut And yet, I remember a few years ago when a gallon of regular almost broke through to under $2 a gallon. Was that a conspiracy also? I don't think so...

I do remember in about 2014 or so, gasoline was down in the $1.xx . I told my wife this was insane, gasoline cost less than some bottled water.


.

[ExFlyBoy5]

Quote:

Originally Posted by statsman Organized my errand run today for three stores, minimal driving. Along the way, I noted most of the gas stations were at $3.79 (or higher) for regular here in Central Texas. Compared to most on this thread, that seems like a bargain. I left Walmart and noticed their gas station was signed at $3.69. I thought this was a mistake, but decided to top off the tank since I was right there. That was the price at the pump. I quickly fueled up before they figured out they were priced at least $0.10 cheaper than everyone else.

Gas Buddy shows our gas is around $3.69 as well. Being an oil state, we tend to have some of the cheapest gas in the country.