Natural Gas – The Answer?

While our politicians lick their lips and try to decide which side is going to have the least amount of repercussions for their chances of being re-elected to office, the nation cries out from its sick bed, thirsting for gasoline. I cannot help but marvel at the sluggishness with which Congress is moving to resolve this issue. If I could give you one bit of advice for voting for your Congressmen, its this: Vote NEW. George Bush recently removed the ban for offshore oil drilling, in order for this ban to come into effect, Congress must vote to allow it. Yet they are dragging their knuckles on the floor. Why? Their political careers are at stake! The Congressional approval rating is at an all time low of 17.3%! Here in Utah we witnessed Chris Cannon whisked away for no real reason other than change. This is why Barrack Obama is so popular this year. People want change, and he’s the man saying it best. Which is no endorsement of mine by the way.

Consumer confidence is at all time lows, while ironically we are economically much more sound than we have been at worser times. Gas prices directly affect how much money you and I spend on commodities.

As a college student, I am looking for ways to dramatically cut my own costs. One method I am currently exploring is natural gas. I have spoken to many people over the last few weeks about natural gas, and people’s opinions on it are based on stereotypes mixed with optimism.

Currently in the state of Utah, people who wish to buy natural gas will only have to pay a cool $.85 per gallon (where’s the cent sign on a keyboard?). Presently I fill up a 16 gallon tank once a week, and lets level gas off at $4.00 a gallon. Thats $64.00 a week in gasoline. Now multiply $64.00 by 52 weeks in a year and the number is a disgusting $3,328 spent on gasoline per year.

Pardon me while I puke. Oh and did I mention I figured that number at only $4.00 per gallon? I’m doing dry heaves now.

I bought my car for $3,600. Does driving even make sense anymore? It does if you use natural gas.

Lets figure the current rate of natural gas in the state of Utah, which is $.85 per gallon. I multiply this number by 16 (my current fuel tank’s capacity), and it costs me $13.60 to fill up once per week. Multiply $13.60 by 52 weeks in a year and you get $707.20 spent on gas per year. This formula of course has eliminated all of the variables such as the difference between the gas mileage of the two fuel types, which are actually very comparable.

The biggest issue with converting to natural gas is the initial conversion cost. Price estimates range anywhere from $3,500 to $8,000 depending upon the make and model of your car. Yet if you look at the math above, it should not be hard to realize that you will have saved that equal amount of money for the investment easily within two years.

While I haven’t made the plunge into natural gas yet, I am certainly exploring the option as I seek to reduce my monthly cost of living. Perhaps you should do the same. A very helpful resource I have found is this neat little local site: www.cngutah.com click their FAQ for some very important answers to some common questions.