Everything is getting more expensive by the day. Gas, food, clothing, random small items we’re used to picking up cheaply and the energy we buy from electric and natural gas companies. New York residents had a shock this month as their electric bills rose dramatically. Con Ed customers saw a rate hike of 22%. The hike is mostly due to the high cost of the oil and gas that electric companies use to generate power. New York is far from the only area to be affected – they’ve just got the most dramatic shift.
From Gothamist:
Harlem flea market vendor Cruz Reyes, told the Daily News the prices are forcing her to live without air conditioning this summer. But aside from that brief June heat wave, the temperature’s been mercifully tolerable. Come August Reyes’s cheapest option may be to unfold a chair outside the open doors of H&M and enjoy the frosty blast out on the sidewalk.
What’s the answer? At the risk of sounding like a broken record: conservation. Yes, high prices suck. We’re starting to see the consequences of the unsustainable lifestyle so many of us have been enjoying for decades. But continuing to consume the same amounts of electricity despite a building energy crisis just makes no sense. Those of us who are relatively young and healthy can do without a/c. Here’s an idea: turn off your television for a little while, and go out and do something – play with your kids, take a walk, weed your garden. Working to conserve energy in your home might just make you healthier and happier. Ya never know.
Link [Gothamist]
Photo credit: Flickr user ocean yamaha
