The Terrifying Switch to DTV (was Re: ISPs, Newsgroups, etc. ...OH MY!!!)

[Jon Pruente]

On Mon, Jul 7, 2008 at 10:31 AM, David Nicol <davidnicol at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Mon, Jul 7, 2008 at 10:21 AM, James Sissel <jimsissel at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> I heat my house with this new-fangled thing called Natural Gas.
>
> I don't know how I would ever get to sleep in the winter if I wasn't
> exhausted from shoveling to fill my coal hopper.  Get off my lawn!

I work in the construction industry, specifically on fireplaces.  It
still boggles my mind how people think they can save money by burning
their 13% efficient open fireplace all winter (and actually costs them
more money), rather than pick up a few days of overtime and pay the
increase in their heating bill for their 80-90%+ efficient furnace.
One saying I like to tell people is that "Mankind created the
automatic forced air central heating system for a damn good reason.
We got tired of burning all the pretty trees."  Seriously, look at
places in Pennsylvania and elsewhere that used to have nearly all the
trees near the towns gone- cut for heating fuel.  Anyway, this does
tie into the semi-OT DTV thing:  The govt mandates that no new furnace
shall  be installed at less than 80% efficient.  Govt regulations mean
that the old clunker heaters being babied along in in some poor
persons home, that is lucky to be running 50-60% efficient, be
replaced with a decent model of furnace, like it or not.  It's better
in the long run but it's a chunk of change to get a new furnace.  It's
not an apples to apple comparasion to the DTV switch, but it is an
example of the govt mandating something that is actually good overall
in the big picture.

Burning your fireplace in the winter is a stupid move unless the power
goes out.  And stay off my lawn too!

Jon.