Fair. Guess it's all pretty relative

You're also in southern maine, where it's not really rural. Not for maine at least.

Isn't that just a picket line? Or are you proposing the change.org version, so that everyone would feel good but avoid any actual change?

Why the shit you people talking -30 like it's at all common? Yea, cap drops there, but we might get 8 hours of -30 temps in a decade?

Checked mine - i'm still getting nearly 30k/36k at -15f, the record low point this winter. Which was like maybe 8 hours. Since we expect these temps, any competent installer would size for the realistic scenario.

> Anytime it was below 0 degrees the heat pumps could not keep up, they’d work but if set at 68 the space would be 58 and they were working hard

This means whoever sized your system did it incorrectly - same thing would happen with wood, natural gas, or oil.

They become resistive electric heat around -5/-10.

They work just fine, but costs more. If you hire a joe blow to size and install, and they dont do a schedule J, they might undersize, leading to freeze.

If you've got a cheaper, non-variable $/BTU option, keep it for cold weather. We dont live in the UP tho, they're fine as your primary in maine.

It's basically 1/4", stop effective generation in my experience. An inch and it's all ogre.

15° angle and snow stayed on ours for weeks.

> I would think that as a culture we see school sports as at least a 5% net positive or growth for adolescents.

I think you're right on this, as far as cultural perceived benefits.

Proving that our populace is bad at math, and should have played fewer sports.

50k in sports, 175k total students. We should disregard the minority interest, sports would need to be like a 17% bump to break even.

School sports arent important for their growth, and they are clearly less important for the student body than academics. You're suggesting its good to make learning harder, because sports kids and parents dont want to bother with any effort.

Why not make the volunteers (athletes) put the extra work in, rather than everyone?

I also did sports, but it's absurd to suggest those are a valid reason to disadvantage 95% of the student body

Why not do sports before school? Early start for sports, school at 9. If it's important, your kid will get up early, and kids who want to prioritize learning can do that.

400 a month fresh fruits, veg and meat for 3? That's impressive, and I dont know that would be possible most places. Certainly not in southern maine/portland area.

> My mortgage was $1500 a month

I agree with your overall point, this number suggests you found a house extremely cheap. Even with PMI, it's something like a 180k house with good credit. Renting or buying, you're paying 2k-2500 for housing if you are a household of 3.

$400 for food a month is doable, but tight. 3 years ago, it would have been luxurious. Say goodbye to fresh fruits for the kids!

Utilities will average out around $6-800 a month for that household.

Transport with a paid off car will be $3-400 a month as well - to get that low $2k housing you will be doing significantly more travel.

So of your $1700, we ate $1200 to simply not freeze, and travel to/from work.

Now add in: professional development/education costs, home maintenance (2-4k/year), any pets, any medical costs (your costs indicated a low-premium plan), haircuts & clothing...

Can it be done? Totally.

But people like mr "need 150k" arent wrong that to do it requires sacrifice. A $100k family in 2005 would get to take vacations, go skiing, go to camp in the summer - not so much now.

But new laws to selectively enforce will fix it! Then we can collectively shockedpikachu when the abuse tools we hand law enforcement are used to abuse the next out-group. Or just poors, they're always a safe target.

I think only one car in my family has auto as an option. Not everyone buys expensive cars.

Yea - Im wondering why their supply rate is so low ($.06/kwH) - it looks like all the small orgs that negotiate their own supply pay half as much as CMP & Versa - and it's the state that sets their supply rate. Maybe the utility-owned interest in the solar farm?

If CMP could buy power that cheap, it would be $.16 vs $.13 per kwH, still better but much closer.

Half? Assume you mean delivery charge, not supply right?