Fuel Shortage Permanent!

By Richard H. Yaun Jr.

Interesting, yet disturbing, is a discussion thread that I have seen now twice on the Internet and once in writing, concerning the oil reserves of the OPEC cartel and further that reflect on the world’s supplies. The scenario being discussed that it is possible that we are no longer capable of producing enough oil to meet the demand of a growing world economy. China is now the number two user of oil products and energy. What is happening is that the US and China are bidding up the price of oil, and OPEC and other producers are unable to supply the demand the world’s demand.

This may seem alarmist but having lived through fuel lines of the 70’s, true or not, this thought process is not a laughing matter. There are many issues here, but the main issue that I would like to discuss is that the US heating industry has not done what it could to educate the public about energy saving products available to the homeowner to preserve what we do have. This short coming is evident in all of the mechanical trades industry. Give the customer the lowest price job no matter what is actually appropriate for the job.

Our industry is pitiful in its selling and communication skills. I’m not just talking about the dealer sales person but the wholesalers and the manufacturers’ representatives as well. There are wonderful energy saving products in the market place but very rarely are they pitched with anything resembling confidence that it is the proper item for the end user. They are misunderstood and somehow getting lost in the shuffle. We had our chance to affect the fuel situation in the 80’s and any effort toward that end was promptly forgotten by all in the affluence of the 80’s. I feel that we have one more chance to correct the abuses and wastefulness that come with cheap energy without causing a major economic disruption. This heating season should not be conducted as normal but rather a special effort should be made by all energy professionals to sell “Energy Efficiency” at every sales call.