Bob Horton has survived the arrival of Home Depot and more economic downturns than he can remember. Yet this winter may be the last for his 40-year-old plumbing and heating supply shop in Osceola, Iowa, just south of Des Moines. The heating bill at his business soared to $602 last month, up from $250 a year earlier. He can't raise prices without losing customers, and he has tried everything to save energy, from installing insulation to heating with a high-efficiency furnace. "It's going to break us," he says of his fuel bills. "We can't pay the overhead."
This winter has been...
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