15.3.12

Lower Heating Bills: A Positive Benefit to Global Warming?

By John W. Lillpop

Global warming, if such phenomenon actually exists, has been much maligned over the past 20 years by such luminaries as Al Gore, Katie Couric, Prince Charles, Nancy Pelosi and other great minds of modern science.

As reported in part at the reference, the bad rap pinned on global warming is being tempered by the fact that millions of Americans are saving hundreds of dollars this winter on home heating costs:

Temperatures in Milwaukee hit a record high Thursday, as the winter that nearly wasn't delivers more savings on home heating costs.

Record warmth this winter means the typical We Energies natural gas customer will save about $120 this winter on heating costs compared with the winter of 2010-'11, the utility said Wednesday.

Combined with low natural gas prices, the warm winter in southeastern Wisconsin prompted We Energies to revise its heating forecast for the second straight month.

A typical We Energies customer paid $391 between November and February, or $100 less than last winter. That's less than any of the previous nine winters, the utility said.

If normal weather holds for the last six weeks of the winter heating season and the price of natural gas remains stable, the utility is forecasting a total winter heating bill for a typical customer of $540, down 18% from $660 last winter.

Until February, utility customers were told to expect a drop of 4% to 5% in heating costs this winter. Last month, the utility updated its numbers based on the warm start to the heating season and forecast a 15% drop.

For the 1 million natural gas customers of We Energies, the winter heating season runs from November through April. So far this season, only two winters have been warmer since 1891, according to National Weather Service heating degree days data compiled by the utility.

In Madison, Wisconsin Power & Light Co. customers have saved 11.5% between October and the end of February, spokesman Steve Schultz said. That translates to savings of about $62 so far for a typical WP&L customer.

A mild weather pattern that has been over the region since the snowstorm early last week sent temperatures to a record 78 degrees in Milwaukee on Wednesday. The previous high for March 14 was 76 degrees, set in 1995. Temperatures in Madison also hit a record 78 degrees, the Weather Service said.

The milder winter also means that less coal is being burned for heat which in turn reduces global warming!

Regrettably, the savings in heating costs are more than offset by the monster rise in gasoline prices, brought to the market by the antics of Barack Obama and Victor Chu.

Which proves that government run by Democrats is always less efficient than simply allowing Mother Nature to do her thing!


http://www.jsonline.com/business/mother-natures-furnace-is-cutting-winter-heating-costs-r94j07h-142716545.html