With all the talk of $4.00/gallon of gas, I see very little talk about the $4.50/gallon for heating oil and the potential hardship that will cause. The latest quote we got from the company that had supplied ours in the past, $4.35/gal., is nearly double what we paid for heating oil last year. At that price, we'll stay sort of "warmish" this winter but probably not a whole lot more than is necessary to keep the pipes from freezing. That's a bit of hyperbole on my part but blankets and sweatshirts will be part of the evening wardrobe for TV watching and we'll likely purchase a couple more of those oil-filled electric heaters. We will weather the storm, if albeit with cold toes and noses, but the poor will be in bad shape this winter.

Why are we not hearing more about this?

I'm thinking this is a poor time to buy, because I think the speculators in the oil market are in for a rude awakening in the not terribly distant future.

But I may be wrong.

$4.35 seems really high, especially compared to THIS.

OTOH, how old is your heating system? Perhaps it's time to upgrade?

The gas compnay just south of me announced a triple increase in the cost of gas for the winter season.

Republicans allowed them to deregulate, but now that is being changed. This will probably be remedied in the near future. I signed with a company for a set price.This has worked for me.I know what I will pay.

Gas dropped 14 cents after the holiday. Motorists stayed home this year.

fuels and food is nitrogen fertilizers. One of the reasons our food supply has been so abundent and cheap is that nitrogen fertilizers have been so cheap. These fertilizers are largely derived from natural gas. So, with natural gas, as well as oil, becoming expensive, so does the cost of these fertilizers - which will result in further food price increases and in some countries food shortages. Welcome to the new world.

Sounds grim Sgt. What about old, or not so old, sleeping bags, great for keeping the cold out, and the body heat in.

Electric Mattress pad works just fine. Costs pennies.

Japanese houses are not heated nor insulated like western homes. They are, therefore, much better at staying warm then we are. Here is an idea that Americans may want to adopt over the next few years;

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High it may be but it's the quoted price nonetheless. We had used this particular vendor for quite some time since they were far and away the cheapest around. Our oil burner is fairly new, less than 10 years old with an overhaul maybe 2 years ago.

I'd like to think that speculators are the source of a major portion of the price increase, at least it gives me something concrete to be pissed off at. But I've read quite a few places in articles by people who seem to know a lot more about it than I, that speculators are not a major source of the increase; maybe some of it but not an amount such that if they were all "rudely awakened" tomorrow, the bottom would drop out of the market and the price would plummet.

Sleeping bags, blankets, sweaters, sweatshirts, and maybe a nose cozy will be hot items in our house this winter.

As I said,Ellen,a mattress pad works just fine.The heat comes up,instead of down,like an electric blanket.:o)

The Japanese place the heat below.So do I and a downy comforter keeps you warm all over. Toes and all.And,oh the aches go right away.

"Sleeping bags, blankets, sweaters, sweatshirts, and maybe a nose cozy will be hot items in our house this winter."

So does cuddling in to a warm missus, though, some of the available models are quite expensive to run! :)

The kotatsu will allow me to work at home and entertain myself and kid until we go to bed.

An electric heater is the very best to keep you warm in the daytime and so many are made to direct the heat right on the person..

PSGT was referring to blankets and the cost. We can all find ways to cut down if we choose.Electric throws are nice too. A good way to keep you warm and the temperature down.

Even the Amish have come up with a heater and it can be used directly in a fireplace. I can remember a gas heater in a fireplace that would warm a room in a matter of minutes.We have become too accustomed to heating the whole house.

If this is a single family dwelling you own and you are willing to spend a little bit of money, I can suggest some really good passive solar plans that might reduce your fuel costs significantly if you're interested?

Propane is way up, too. My daughter paid almost $4 a gallon for the last fill. we are locked in at $2.49 through the winter, and it costs $38 to get the contract. Figured it out, and we saved a bundle last year, being locked in at $2.11.

Gas,I locked in at .96 for cubic something.:o) The other Company was 1.28 and that was not a sure thing.