Posted on 11/21/2019 5:23:36 PM PST by karpov
NO: A Ban Looks Good—Until You Do the Math
Those seeking to ban natural-gas hookups in new buildings say it will reduce local pollution and greenhouse-gas emissions, while saving end users money. Some also point to safety benefits: Fewer natural-gas lines means less potential damage during earthquakes.
When you compare the benefits and costs of such policies, however, you will find that their claims have little or no merit.
For starters, if consumers had an economic incentive to use electricity instead of natural gas, there would be no need for bans in the first place. With these kinds of analyses the devil is in the details, and one small detail is that in areas where natural gas is available, it is generally less costly to burn natural gas directly in homes and buildings for things like heating and cooking than to rely on electricity to provide equivalent end-use service.
Consider California, the state at the forefront of natural-gas-hookup bans. Last year, the average price of natural gas in California was about $12.30 per million British thermal units (a measure of the heat content of the fuel), according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. For a homeowner with a new, 95% efficiency natural-gas furnace or water heater, that translates into a cost of just under $13 per million BTUs.
Compare that with the cost of electricity, which averaged 18.84 cents a kilowatt-hour in California in 2018, about 50% higher than the national average. That works out to $55 per million BTUs, more than four times the cost of natural gas. Even heat pumps for space and water heating can’t bridge that gap.
Environmentalists also tend to ignore things like comfort, reliability and usability. A ban on new natural-gas hookups in Berkeley, Calif, for example, means restaurants [can't] install gas ranges
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Vg-6PWEWlc
As an oil and gas guy, I’m all for electric heh. I don’t think they realize how much they will increase demand.
Shhh! Don’t tell them lol.
[I remember when my wife and I got our first electric stove. I felt like a Greek God.
I was served 3 burnt offerings a day. ]
Until recently, natural gas was burned off as a waste by-product. It was everywhere there was oil drilling, and it was vented off in huge smokestacks with flames to burn 24 hours a day. It was literally given away when not discarded. As you say, our planet produces natural gas. Also lots of methane, much of which is locked up in a frozen state under the oceans. We are not running out of carbon fuels, despite what the liberal enviro-weenies say. Nor are we polluting like they say; our Earth naturally handles the burning of carbon products which is a natural cycle.
These figures may be true and tell a very persuasive story, but you’re a racist. So there!
</sarc>
Should you stick your hand in a garbage disposal? Should you put electrical appliances on the edge of a tub while taking a bath? Should you smoke while pumping gas? No, you don’t do these things because they are stupid.
I am so sorry. I apologies for using facts in a racially insensitive fashion. I will report to the Corey Booker Camp for Deplorables Re-education immediately.
I am so sorry. I apologies for using facts in a racially insensitive fashion. I will report to the Corey Booker Camp for Deplorables Re-education immediately.
I’m surprised that you don’t have one of those on demand natural gas generators to power your house. Seems like a worthwhile investment in that state.
“and for some strange reason, you are warmer using natural gas.”
Burning NatGas releases water vapor which increases the humidity. Electric heaters don’t.
L
The bulk of our electricity is generated with natural gas..
It would mean fewer streets being dug up by the gasholes.
Gas is one TENTH as expensive to heat space and water. One tenth m
Plus most electricity comes from natural gas in CA
Yep - lived in all electric homes for most of my adult life. Finally bought a condo with gas cooking/fireplace and love it.
Nothing like gas cooking for the best fast heating of a pan and much better temp control and we have been using the fireplace to supplement the A/C-Heat unit - Electric went down $35 and gas went up $4.
Wind power requires massive amounts of land area. Because of the noise they generate, you cannot locate them near residential. That means long distance transmission lines which create power losses that cut into their energy output. Also, such land area may displace land needed for agriculture and cattle. Then, there is the cost of these wind generators. Massive amounts of steel is required which takes energy to produce and melt into casts. Once the parts are manufactured, it takes special trucks to transport them to location. And special cranes to lift them into place. These generators only have a limited life and those special cranes are again needed to lift the worn out generator off the tower after the blades are removed. Each cycle of removing the worn out generator and replacement with new is an expensive process. That expense will be a factor in the cost of electricity to the rate payer.
Solar cells make their own set of expensive problems. They take up lots of land area if we were to replace our fossil fuel generation with solar. A complete replacement would require the land area of California. Solar cells need to be clear of dust and large amounts of water will be needed to keep them clean. A solar system will need to store their daytime electricity in batteries so they can deliver electricity at night and when cloudy conditions reduce the light on them. No one is talking about the solution for a thick snowfall on a massive solar farm. Keeping snow cleared off will be an expensive operation. And you will needs lots of backup while the snow is cleared. No one is talking about the cost of vandalism.
Those batteries will not be cheap and will require constant maintenance as cells die. If you know the cost of replacing the battery in your car, rate payers will feel the same sticker shock when the maintenance of battery systems is added to the maintenance of solar cells.
Both wind and solar farms will need to be located on land that is low in value. The costs of land are costs to the rate payer.
I’ve cooked with both.
They’ll pry my gas stove from my cold, dead hands.
Electric is for microwaves.
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