In the past few years, the cost of gas has gone from around $1.50 a gallon to $3.50 a gallon. This has caused other prices to go up as well. It is possible for another doubling of fuel and energy costs in the next few years.

Why is energy cost increasing?
The most important factors contributing to the current rise in worldwide oil prices have been an increasing demand from expanding economies, mainly in China and India but also elsewhere, while supply has been artificially curtailed through the OPEC oil cartel. Federal, State, and local taxes are a large component of the retail price of gasoline. Taxes (not including county and local taxes) account for approximately 19 percent of the cost of a gallon of gasoline