This winter I have seen for the first time that people in Colorado, USA are beginning to wake up to energy issues, and it is not the cost of gasoline, but rather the cost of natural gas, heating oil and propane. I live in a rural area that is predominantly heated by propane, and in nearly every conversation the $3.00/gal cost comes up. Lots of 'propain' jokes flying around. I have been using propane for 20 years, and in that time the cost has gone from 50 cents to three dollars. Obviously if the price rose to 18.00 a gallon in another twenty the majority of people would be freezing. In a cold January I use 125 gallons, even though I have an efficient passive solar house and keep the thermostat at 62F. I also have a fireplace and a wood pellet stove. Wood pellets at $225 a ton are much more economical than propane.

I have heard the same stories from people in town who use natural gas, and people back east on heating oil. People are really paying attention. Of course, if you don't have the money it is difficult to retrofit new technology, but there are a lot of cheap things that can be done, like weatherstripping, covering windows with plastic, and lowering the thermostat.