The rich really aren't like normal people...

[Javaman]

I think about the concept of peak oil and how I am preparing for it; What skills am I brushing up on that will help me down the road? Am I building a good network of friends, neighbors and contacts? How is my garden doing and is there any way I could expand it?

All sorts of practical things, like most people.

But there is a whole section of society that will die miserable horrible deaths because of peak oil. I'm convinced of it. It won't be the poor, because the poor have learned how to do with out for so long that their survival instincts are pretty well honed for such a thing. The middle class, will fair okay, but will have to pick up the slack pretty quickly to keep from starving to death.

The modern rich however, have no skills, do nothing for themselves and pray upon society because they believe their social standing is all that is required to get what they want. Peak oil will change that.

This following story proves my point but also made my head explode. And I'm sure yours will too.

A buddy of mine works at an architecture company and is currently doing the MEP (mech, elect, plumb) on a massive house here in texas. When I say massive, I will let you know in a moment, but first let me give you the background on this guy.

He's insanely wealthy. No not rich, not, well off, not money bags, but wealthy as in 8 figures a year wealthy.

So anyway, he's moving from his 5,000 square foot house to another house. (I will get into the size in a moment).

He is currently paying $1800 bucks a month in electricity. Yes, you heard me right. Well, he was curious as to why it was so high when his friend who has a similar house only pays $350 a month.

So in walks the energy auditor. He interviews the maid. He inquires as to how many times a week she does a load of laundry. She says, "daily, I do 4 to 5 loads with the dryer of course". What? why so many he asked. She states, "because Mr. so and so, doesn't like to have any dirty laundry laying around the house". Okaaaaaaaaay. then he goes into the kitchen and asks the same maid how many times a week does she use the dishwasher, she replies, "a week? we do 5-6 load daily". Arg. because mr. wealthy doesn't like to have dirty dishes around. (clean freak?)

Next he notices that all the lights in the house were incandescents. The bedroom alone uses 1500 Watts! The owner states that he doesn't like the color of the light that the CFL's give off. Sigh.

then to top it all off, he must keep the A/C at 60 degrees otherwise he can't sleep. 61 is okay 62 maybe, but nothing higher. Oy!!

Okay thinks the auditor, that's a lot of power but it still doesn't add up to 1800 bucks.

He looks around and sees a normal plasma screen tv and makes a comment about it to the maid. Oh she says, you didn't see this. Where upon she opens up the wall behind the tv and reveals a floor to ceiling audio component system. (all on) then she takes him out to the backyard. located there is a 12 x 12 "shed" which houses a full AV system with an on demand library of 800 movies. All the equipment is up and running. Plus a huge A/C window unit that runs 24/7.

Ahhhhhh!!!

it was no wonder this guy is paying as much as he is. And it's only he and his wife that live in the house.

But wait, it gets worse

He is now moving into, hold onto your seats, a 20,000 square foot house. this house has 2 chiller units and 20 hvac units. He hasn't moved into yet, but the month electric bill just from the workers doing the building there is already 2500 a month!!! it's estimated that his monthly electric bills will be in the area of 8 grand!!

Now get this, to make matters worse, he has...this one blinds me...single paned windows. Why you ask? because he had them specially constructed for the house for some stupid ass aesthetic reason. Logic would dictate that one could get the same windows in double pane. no duh, but this fool stood firm on having the single pane.

So the energy auditor informs the contractor that with single panes the sun will cook anyone standing next to them during the day, that they will cause mold and mildew, that they will also cause his monthly electric bill to sky rocket. The contractor informed the auditor that the owner was fully aware of that.

this wealthy guy is why we are in such an energy mess. he is the poster child of waste. he alone probably uses enough electricity to power several homes.

It's stories like these that make me yearn for peak oil to happen sooner.

[unpossibles]

1. several homes? a city block perhaps

wow. Several times reading that I blinked and mentally staggered. I just cannot imagine it. At all.

Even if I had the money to throw away I can't imagine it. I know some will say "it's his right if he can afford it" but to me this is a worse crime than taking a poop in a swimming pool - sure, the chlorine will probably kill most of the germs, but ... do you really want someone to do that?

[info being]

2. As a knowledge-worker (sales), I agree

I have no survival skills and my money will be worthless one day.

[Merlot]

3. Look at all the people making money off this guy

Maid. Contractor. Special order windows production and installation. HVAC installer and maintenance. Audio component system sales, installation, repair. Architect. Your friend - the MEP guy. And many many more in the form of gardeners, maids, security, cooks, etc. Furniture and appliance sales people. Interior designers.

So all these middle class people make their living from this crazy rich guy. Is this what they mean by trickel down theory?

[Warpy]

4. I imagine all that laundry is because

Mr. Entitlement doesn't want to sleep on "dirty" sheets after he's slept on them one night, nor does he want to use a "dirty" towel that has air dried after his morning full body shower. I can't comprehend the dishwasher loads unless he insists on elaborate place settings at every meal with the dishes washed whether or not they've been used. Plus, there is probably a component of wanting to get his money's worth out of the help.

I've met a few people like Mr. Entitlement socially, and I can say they're not like us at all. They're pleasant enough company, but they are totally clueless about how we all survive paycheck to paycheck without portfolios or trust funds generating additional income. They don't know what things cost or how much human misery goes into maintaining their lifestyle. They care about making their immediate surroundings as pleasant of possible and their interest does not extend beyond that.

I can't imagine 2 people in a 20,000 square foot house, rattling around like peas in a barrel, and I've toured the "cottages" in Newport.

I'd rather see them than be them.

[Delphinus]

7. I'm glad I don't know people like this.

Other than that, I'm going to remember what I learned - if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.

[MindPilot]

5. This is why I don't get all in a knot about conservation & recycling

All my efforts to sort recyclables, buying & installing CF bulbs, using a house fan instead of my a/c, installing a new high-efficiency furnace that I still supplement with a fireplace, watching TV by candlelight, driving a 10-year-old small car, etc, etc are completely undone in probably less than one day by this dipwad's extravagance.

Why bother?

[Javaman]

6. I ask myself the very same question, but I still recycle

compost, put in CF etc. Basically because I'm cheap and don't want to give the energy companies more, oh and the environment, yeah yeah that too. :) lol

[MindPilot]

8. Me too...that old liberal guilt I guess.

I posted a similar thread a few weeks ago about my visit to one of my employer's executive's home to do some work on his home office computer.

Probably what struck me more than anything else was the conspicuous absence of any evidence of hobbies. I didn't see anything like knitting laying around, a sewing machine, art supplies, musical instruments -- nothing. The garage was stark--not a tool in sight--not even a lawn mower or a rake.

Contrast that with my neighborhood where the most pervasive sounds on a Saturday morning are air compressors. I have a fairly complete wood shop in my garage. The guy who lives behind me is equipped to do almost any kind of metal work and my neighbor to the north does auto & motorcycle restorations. The people on the other side are all health care workers and my SO can grow just about anything.

Just in those four houses is probably enough skill and knowledge to build damn near anything whereas the rich guy needs help to turn on a computer.

[Nederland]

9. Reminds me of an old argument

...I had with an ex-girlfriend in the 1990's. She would insist that with all environmental problems facing us, humanity was doomed. I disagreed, saying that the rich will survive.

Like I said, she replied, humanity is doomed.

[NNadir]

10. Well, if he installed solar cells, he could consume another

2.0 million kilowatt-hours in energy while people cruised websites devoted to his solar house.

Why we could expect 20 threads on this subject from JPak alone.