u/DCContrarian

Alabama	3F
Alaska	46F
Arizona	-2F
Arkansas	-13F
California	43F
Colorado	23F
Connecticut	26F
Delaware	-5F
District of Columbia	12F
Florida	NA
Georgia	-13F
Hawaii	9F
Idaho	26F
Illinois	20F
Indiana	6F
Iowa	4F
Kansas	3F
Kentucky	-13F
Louisiana	5F
Maine	12F
Maryland	19F
Massachusetts	25F
Michigan	31F
Minnesota	25F
Mississippi	-13F
Missouri	12F
Montana	33F
Nebraska	14F
Nevada	15F
New Hampshire	26F
New Jersey	37F
New Mexico	33F
New York	23F
North Carolina	-13F
North Dakota	-13F
Ohio	22F
Oklahoma	-13F
Oregon	24F
Pennsylvania	25F
Rhode Island	45F
South Carolina	27F
South Dakota	28F
Tennessee	29F
Texas	-13F
Utah	31F
Vermont	32F
Virginia	33F
Washington	34F
West Virginia	35F
Wisconsin	36F
Wyoming	37F

Average fuel costs are from the Energy Information Administration. Electricity is at: https://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm_table_grapher.php?t=table_5_06_a

Natural gas is at: https://www.eia.gov/dnav/ng/ng_pri_sum_a_EPG0_PRS_DMcf_m.htm

Costs are the most recent available, which is July, 2026 in most cases. Six states did not have a July price for natural gas and an earlier month was used. No gas price information was available for Florida so it is NA.

Heat pump performance is for a Mitsubishi P-Series Hyperheat with a nominal capacity of 54,000 BTU/hr, in a house with a design heating load of 40,000 BTU/hr at 22F, following the methodology for predicting heat pump performance in this article:

https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/question/how-to-model-and-predict-electricity-usage-for-a-heat-pump

I was inspired to do this after hearing one more person confidently state that "gas is more efficient than a heat pump at <temperature I just pulled out of my ass>." No, it's complicated. It depends on the local price of gas and electricity, and also the choice of equipment and the heating load of the particular house.

Prices vary a lot by state. Electricity prices range from 12.72c/kWh to 48c/kWh. Gas prices range from $12.38/MCF to $65.72/MCF.

The nationwide average price of gas in July was $26.45/MCF, in February it was $14.95

I recently replaced my old Pixel 8 with a 10a. I have a couple inwall Bluetooth amplifiers in my house and I can't get the 10a to pair with them. They show up when I click on pair new device, but when I tap on them I just get "Pairing..." for a few minutes and then nothing happens.

I could pair to these devices with my old phone, and I can still pair to them with my Samsung.

I have upgraded to the latest system software.

I've restarted the phone many times, and tried stopping and starting Bluetooth. I've turned the Bluetooth devices on and off many times.

Is there anything else to try?

Every time I start I get a message that the front radar sensor is blocked. I'd like to check it, but I've been unable to find out where it is.

Thanks.

I have a 2000 Carry with an automatic transmission. I've been unable to learn anything about it, like what the transmission model number is.

I want to do a fluid change. Usually this entails popping off the bottom case and changing the filter inside, but to do that I'd need a new gasket and a new filter. Any leads on where I could find such a thing?

Any other tips?

Thanks.

I have a small AC air handler that has a motor in it that is labeled 220V, 0.2A, 20W. It has four speeds, and four wires going into it that are controlled by relays. The motor says "YDK-20-4Z" and Googling tells me that's an induction motor.

My issue is that I find the lowest speed noisy, so I'd like to slow it down even further. What I'd like to try is using a dimmer module, something like this:

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2251832615710334.html

Questions:

1. Will this work?

2. Could it damage the motor?

3. Since the motor has four speeds, should I put it on the lowest speed and dim it, or put it on the highest speed and dim it?

4. Assuming this works, why do manufacturers bother with multispeed motors and relays? The module I linked to above is 99 cents.

Thanks for any help you can give.

My truck had been getting sluggish, particularly noticeable starting from a stop and going up hills. This week I replaced the spark plugs and air filter. I've also noticed that it runs rough when the tank is almost empty. What a difference when everything is right!

Shouldn't it be an unstate unfair?

Time for my first tune-up. 2000 Mazda Scrum (Carry). None of the obvious places seem to have them.

Thanks.

Maybe this is a silly question, but I'm baffled.

When my EK50 boots up, it starts on a grand piano sound. If I switch to a different sound and then go back to grand piano, it sounds different -- less full. As far as I can tell the only way to get the startup sound back is to power on and off.

Thoughts?

I often hear people saying that what's happening with AI right now is like the Manhattan Project. There is a superficial similarity, with a lot of money being spent in a hurry in a technological race (although AI has already consumed 30 times as much money, even adjusted for inflation).

But the comparison misses a fundamental point: in the Manhattan Project, they knew what they were doing. The theoretical basis had been established experimentally in the 1930's, by 1942 the problem had been reduced to a materials science and engineering exercise. Over 80% of the cost of the project was the cost of acquiring and purifying the fissile material, once they had enough to reach critical mass actually building the bomb was almost an afterthought.

There doesn't seem to be any such clarity in the race for AI.

Looking into doing a DIY install. It seems the biggest challenge is getting the air and moisture out of the lineset. The two ways seem to be vacuuming and using a flushing fluid. Vacuuming is what the pros do, but the pumps available to DIYers don't seem capable of pulling as complete a vacuum.

Has anyone every tried filling the lineset with flushing fluid and then vacuuming it out? It seems you could get a more complete evacuation than with either technique alone.

Thanks.

I just got a ticket for not displaying a front license plate. I didn't install it because the bracket that came with the car seemed so cheap. So now I'm looking at aftermarket brackets, and I haven't found anyone who makes one for the P4.

One option would be a bracket that goes into the tow hook slot, but I haven't found anyone who makes one of those specific for the P4 either.

Does anyone know what the thread pitch is on the tow eyelet? It looks bigger than earlier Polestars.

Thanks.

There seem to be more and more people writing about how AI is a bubble. Usually when a bubble bursts there is one precipitating event that triggers it, and OpenAI is widely viewed as the financially weakest player in the AI business. Ed has written extensively about how OpenAI just has no path to being a viable business.

So what is the event -- or sequence of events -- that pushes the OpenAI domino over?

I'm looking to buy a robot and I'm worried that my land is just too rugged. I have swing blades on my rider mower. I just learned that Lymow offers swing blades, which has me thinking that's the direction I should be looking.

Does anyone have experience with them?

Thanks.