Quote:
Originally Posted by jeff5may
As far as payback goes, hpwh are not much cheaper to run than natural gas. Due to the fracking craze, natural gas is cheap for the time being. This may or may not change anytime soon. Also depends on your grid power rates and local gas utility.
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I had a dear friend, now deceased, who had been hit very hard by the vicissitudes of life, and although he remained a good and dear friend, his ability to think 'long term' and in regards to his ability to see 'the whole picture' was damaged.
I clearly remember going over to visit him on a fiercely cold winter day, and I watched him tear off boards from the interior walls of his house and throw them in the wood stove to keep warm.
It was a sad sight to see, this dear man behaving in this way... destroying his house to keep warm. Clearly a very sad symptom.
* * *
Reason I mention this true story, is that this story is exactly parallel to fracking. It's no coincidence that Dick Cheney managed to have congress pass a law that would indemnify and hold blameless for environmental damages, the actions of the companies,
BEFORE FRACKING STARTED. They already knew what would happen.
Essentially, the fracking companies are pumping hazardous, carcinogenic, chemicals deep into the ground that will contaminate the deep aquifers, in some places this realization is already beginning to happen.
And we get cheap natural gas in return.
The stories of flaming water taps are only the very tip of the iceberg.
My point here is that making simplistic economic decisions, without seeing the bigger picture is no different than my deceased friend burning down his house... because in fact, we are piece by piece, burning down our house.
We need to widen our view and consider the consequences.
Best,
-AC