As you probably know, LP is derived from either oil or natural gas and
its price thus closely follows these other two fuels. And since the
U.S. is a net importer of oil and gas and since the gap between supply
and demand continues to grow wider day by day, its price is likely to
become increasingly volatile over time, with the long-term trend
pointing upward. Also worth noting you'll be competing (should I say
fighting?) with the rest of the world for these resources as they
become increasingly more scarce.

Electricity prices are likely to remain more stable over the long
term, as a good portion is generated by way of coal and nuclear (both
domestic resources) and therefore not subject to the same external
market forces. Plus electricity can capitalize on a growing portfolio
of renewable resources such as wind, small hydro, geothermal, solar,
etc., that generally have very low operating costs and, thankfully,
much more modest environmental impact. This will further add to the
diversity in supply and perhaps help dampen price pressures on other
competing fuels.

I don't want to suggest everyone race out to their local home
improvement store and buy armfuls of electric baseboard heaters; that
would be insane. However, when it comes time to evaluate your heating
options, I hope a geothermal or air source heat pump will be added to
the list.

As previously noted, a high efficiency heat pump can produce three
times more heat, per kWh, than an electric baseboard heater, even in
cold, northern climates. I can buy a ductless heat pump today with a
21 SEER rating and a HSPF of 11.0 -- that's double the efficiency of
many heat pumps now in service. And the good news is that the
Japanese are working hard to advance that bar even higher, which begs
the question: where's America's leadership in this area?

Looking at it another way, if I were to switch from electric baseboard
heat to a high efficiency heat pump, electricity prices could double
or triple and I would still pay less per month than what I do now.
That's precisely the long-term price protection a high efficiency heat
pump can offer me today.

As always, do whatever you can to lower your heating and cooling
requirements through generous insulation and careful air sealing.
Then, and only then, take a look at some of the alternative heating
systems that have the potential to dramatically lower your monthly
energy costs.

Cheers,
Paul

On Sun, 28 Jan 2007 03:19:08 -0600, kjpro @ usenet.com wrote:

LP and Nat used to be cheap fuels. But as time goes by, they continue to
rise dramatically while the electric costs have had slight increases.

With new product designs and affiances, today a heat pump can often save you
a significantly large amount of money in operational costs...