wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

my fuel bills this year consevative estimate is $2,847.79 move over i'm coming tosay hello lol

fyi gas/oil always goes up in the summer and up in the winter. this is due to increased demand from more driving in the summer and home heating in the winter

ps oil will never be cheap again. no one will sell you something for $ 2 that you've paid $5 for in the past

the point is it shouldn't have to be this way, that we suffer because of 30 years of Raganomics!

We bought logs this year that we will have to cut and split ourselves rather than cut wood. It's a lot of hard work but wood is getting really expensive now also. We are getting a second wood stove and a bigger one for the main room. We have a really old farmhouse with good windows, but not very good wall insulation. We just don't have the money to put new walls up and the cost of heat isn't helping. We are going to close off the upstairs again as well. We had the thermostat between 50-55 last year. We go to bed early and get under the covers. It's cold in the morning but a small heater in the bathroom helps a lot to cut the chill. Also, being in a rural area, the cost of gas to get to work is going to be compounded by the high cost of heating the house. It's what it is.

Things are already too expensive, the costs of living keep going up and wages aren't keeping up, people are going to start leaving the city and the rich people won't have people to work for them. Someone has to work in the restaurant and clean the dishes, cook the food, someone has to be the custodian in the office at night. They need to be able to afford living here as well or they'll leave too and I don't blame them.

It is ridiculous the rents, $2K for 2 bedrooms in Queens for rent. Hello, these are working class people that you are exploiting paying too low wages and ripping off with high rents!

This guy doesn't get it. We rent. We also pay for our gas, hot water, and electricity.

So, what incentive does my landlord have to increase effeciency in my apartment? None.

Sure, I can change my light bulbs, and I can put in weatherstripping, but I can't change my furnace or hot water heater.

How much difference will this make potentially for a 3 family house?

I am the landlord and want to know what to expect. I just put in energy efficient windows.

I remember never showing any skin during the winter growing up, since my mother would never turn on the heat. Even with that, I still like to be somewhat comfortable.

Warming centers (if they exist, I don't know) aren't open 24/7. Would you want to sleep in a warming center?

Right now, I'm in an apartment, and there's only so much I can do to save energy, and I know my landlord won't do invest that much money int he short run to save himself money in the long run.

So New York renters spend 30% to 50% on rent, 15% on heating, 15% and up on taxes, and then there's food, clothing, transportation.

So what's left? For me that all adds up to about 110% of my income.

Use energy efficient windows, keep the thermostat to 61 degrees, put on an extra sweater, your house should not be a tropical island.

Doesn't the city have heating centers in the winter similar to the cooling centers for senior citizens and other people whom cannot afford the high cost of heat, they can go be warm?