High Oil and Gas Prices are Here to Stay!

Everyone is trying to figure out the impact of significantly higher oil and natural gas prices on the economy in general, and their heating and electrical bills in particular. When this becomes a topic addressed by the Federal Reserve Chairman, you know that the situation is serious. When you look at your bills, the personal impact of $1.25/gallon heating oil, $6 to 10/therm natural gas, and $ 1.20 to 1.85/gal propane is staring right at you.

For ENERJOY heated homes, the news is good. Electricity can be generated from oil, gas, coal, hydro, wind, photovoltaic, and nuclear energy. Electric utilities can blend their sources according to their generation capabilities as necessary to control their cost per kilowatt-hour. As a result, electricity has generally increased at a rate below the level of inflation. In a deregulated environment, the price of power has remained relatively stable for small users, and enjoyed some decline for bulk purchasers.

A further sign of the times is the gradual return to electric power price stability in California as Southern California Edison rates are once again back to the national average price per kilowatt-hour of $0.08. Interestingly, this utility featured ENERJOY in its energy center and trade show booth for many years. As proactive as Title 24 has always been in encouraging energy efficient building envelope and design, it would be especially prescient if Title 24 were enhanced to recognize the efficiency of heating people instead of space in the large, generally empty California homes (that seldom experience an interior temperature below 60F) with a product like ENERJOY, where users literally could Treat their Heat Like Lights. Imagine the benefits to consumers of developing some winter heating load to balance the huge summer peak!!!

In analyzing the impacts of higher energy costs, it is well to remember that ENERJOY delivers all of its heat radiantly in the space where comfort is desired. Convection oil, gas, and propane systems all experience significant flue, combustion, duct or liquid transmission losses, higher infiltration/exfiltration losses, and electric costs to move air or liquid. The result is that the actual delivered comfort cost efficiency ranges from 30 to 70%, depending upon cycle frequency and other factors. When the added fan or pump electric energy cost is added, it becomes obvious that ENERJOY is your lowest operating cost heating option. And, there is life of the building longevity, and no maintenance!!!

The long-term outlook is that the new price levels for oil, gas, and propane are here to stay. It appears that higher oil prices are the quid pro quo for the US actions taken in the quest for political stability in the Middle East. Natural gas use has been encouraged to the point of straining both exploration and pipeline supply capability. The issue of peak outages has not yet been addressed.

With occupant quest for non-allergenic, dustless, noiseless, odorless, thermal comfort, the decision to choose ENERJOY would seem obvious. But, most people are not familiar with the benefits of a non-mechanical, lifetime heating system. And, sometimes they are confused by the haunting phrase that ‘heat rises’, which, in fact, is false, because it is hot air (like from a forced air furnace or baseboard heater) that expands when heated and rises. Exactly what happens in a centrally heated house controlled by a single thermostat!!!

Because more and more Internet savvy energy conscious builders, designers, and occupants are searching for a better solution, we are experiencing an unusually busy summer. If you are planning on using ENERJOY for the coming heating season, please try to provide as much lead time – usually 4-6 weeks – as possible for you orders.