Re: America's future energy source?

["Frank "Free Spirit" Borger" <frank@rover.bsd.uchicago.edu>]

> To:            Multiple recipients of list <radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu>
> Subject:       Re: America's future energy source?

> Eric Denison wrote:
> 
> > For electric power generation, yes.  But until they can heat my house directly
> > with a small reactor, I want natural gas.  Apologies to all of the utility
> > folks, but electric heat just doesn't cut it.  Been there, done that, don't
> > want to go back.
> 
> I live in Idaho Falls where the electric rates are probably the lowest in the
> USA (3.5 cents per kilowatt hour) ... The electric bill for my 3000 sq.ft. house
> is never above $220/mo even in the winter when it can get to 40 below zero

	3.5cents/kWh is not the norm in the US. With something more
	normal such as 10cents/kWh, your winter electric bills come out
	to over $600/month.  (And don't even think about Chicago!)

	For an older house such as mine, without super insulation, the
	heating bill would surpass my mortgage AND tax bill.

	IMHO, a better comparison would be to look at the energy
	efficiency of modern  gas furnaces, (ballpark 90%,)  versus the
	total efficiency of electricity generated from gas, (or coal or
	subterranean methane,) including the losses in power transmission.

	For that matter, maybe we should force everybody to move
	north to save on air-conditioning costs. 

Frank R. Borger - Physicist - Center for Radiation Therapy
net: Frank@rover.uchicago.edu   ph: 312-791-8075 fa: 791-3697

"I promise you we won't build an airport in Lake Michigan, if it 
bothers one resident of the lake!" 
 - Daley the elder, (former Mayor of the City of Chicago.)