Here's a blog I wrote over the weekend. I hope y'all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. And, this is only the tip of the iceberg on what I think about concerning energy efficiency and renewable energy. That would be more like a book than a blog.



"Hi, my name is Todd and I'm an addict."

I picture myself standing before a crowd gathered in a darkened church fellowship hall, dozens of eyes focused on me and I nervously say "Hi, my name is Todd and I'm an addict. I'm addicted to energy."

They all reply kindly with a "Hi, Todd" said in unison.

I didn't realize it for years. It came on subtly. My addiction even goes back to my college days when I'd sneak away with a calculator in hand to do some quick figuring. "Let's see, if I invest X number of dollars in engine upgrades and I pick up half of the fuel mileage that the magazine ads say I will, how many miles will this increase in performance take to pay for the upgrades?" Even then, three years was the maximum time I'd consider. And I did the upgrades. And they worked. And they paid for themselves in three years.

Yes, even then I was addicted.

That was the seventies. By the eighties, I had moved up to bigger projects. Although I started out small, I ended up doing all sorts of upgrades to my 8500 square foot building. It never cost a lot... usually a ten or a twenty here and there, sometimes even a $50 or a C-note when I felt really flush. Again, I justified it with the old mantra of having to pay for itself within three years.

Yes, even then I was addicted.

By the '90s, I had moved from dropping the occasional $100 bill into thousands of dollars... all on something that I couldn't touch or feel or even see. When I did a major renovation on the building, I quietly added in some roof insulation and made sure the roof was white. A few years later I heard about interior storm windows. I "said" they were to quiet down the sound of the railroad just a few feet from my building. And that was true. But I can't express the surge of excitement when I compared light bills from the previous year and saw a major drop. This one didn't quite make the 36 month payback scheme. It took 42 months... but it sure made the building quiet.

Eventually, I tweaked my building to the point it used just over a third of the energy it used to suck down each month.

Yes, even then I was addicted. And the addiction was growing.

In '93/'94 I built a house. This time the temptation was just too great. I had 3600 square feet of heated space to play with. And starting with a blank canvas, the pull was just too strong. Let's see, 2x6 stud walls, increased efficiency air conditioners and windows... I even added foil to the inside of the rafters up in the attic. No one could tell from the street, but I could!

As always, I kept these upgrades with my 36 month payback mandate. And they worked. Actually, the upgrades paid for themselves in much less than 36 months. How about a July light bill for a two story with two big air conditioners built on the lake with gobs of windows for... get this... $85. A friend used the same crew to build the same basic house style, same size and everything. His bill that same month was $280 and he was happy.

The high I got from comparing my $85 Entergy bill to his $280 had me floating for days. Let's see... he paid 3.2941 times more for his light bill than me! Yes, I carried my figures out to the fourth decimal point. How disgusting!

I was really addicted by this point.

Energy efficiency went from passing thoughts to dominating my thinking. Every tankful had to be logged to check mileage. Magazine articles were scoured for new ideas. I even bought a few solar magazines though I assured myself I'd never get that far. I mean, that's hard core stuff!

But the addiction was growing. The new century brought two things: lower income and therefore greater need for efficiency. The increased pressure to pay my bills with less and less money really pushed me over the edge. I was addicted and didn't even try to hide it. I quit hanging out with my friends, even quit going to Sunday School. Oh, I blamed it on the divorce but the real reason was I was at home most Sunday mornings surfing the net for my next fix. I was looking at all sorts of energy efficiency options.

I went from a gas-burning truck to a diesel. Ironically, it could haul more but the economy was even better. That did more to drive the addiction than anything!

Buying the diesel brought a pivotal shift in my addiction. I went from being a user to making the stuff. I found out about vegetable oil being used in lieu of diesel. Next step: cooking with Meth. Yep, I started cooking the stuff. A drum of grease, a bucket of methanol and a pinch of lye... biodiesel.

The internet was probably my biggest downfall. For example, I was able to subscribe to an online edition of "Home Power" magazine. This way the postman didn't even see it come in a plain wrapper. No one knew when a new edition arrived in PDF form. Well, maybe my close friends. I'd just disappear for a day or two, only to surface with that wild-eyed look, my mind racing with new ideas.

Looking back now, I remember them pulling back from me when my talking would start to race as I considered the synergy of multiple systems and how saving energy tied in with making energy. It was sad.

Meanwhile, I started getting bolder and bolder with my addiction. I added shade screens and water mist nozzles to the air conditioner unit on the roof. I switched from electric heat to gas logs in my loft. I even played with a water mist system for the roof of the warehouse. And it worked!

It didn't help that friends started talking about my addiction. I was on a downhill slide, greased by my used cooking oil. And the highs I got only got stronger. My poor friends have to put up with my reports of cool but mostly obscure technologies that will either save energy or make it from renewable sources. Well, at least I have always concentrated on stuff with a fast payback. At least that kept me from solar.

I always told myself I'd never go to the hard core stuff like solar. But a few years ago I ran across a great deal on some solar hot water panels. Hey, at least I'm not into photo voltaic panels. That's the really hard core stuff... making electricity from the sun. When the payback gets below three years, I'm afraid I'm doomed to resist the temptation of getting into solar. OK, I admit it, I've even figured how I can mount them on one section of the roof up here in El Do where no one will be able to see it from the street. What would the neighbors think?

A friend of mine met some folks who were converting wood chips into a gas that could then run a generator. Eventually, they hope to make diesel from wood. That was it. He told them about me and the next thing I knew we were meeting at a Starbucks in West Monroe talking about working together on a regular basis. I pretty much forgot about making my industrial chemicals. I didn't even think of dating any more. It was all energy, all the time.

I even bought my own gasifier to convert wood and such into a syngas to run my own generator. A couple of months ago I went back to college for the first ever course on biomass gasification. Just this week I attended a Bioenergy Conference down in Baton Rouge and have considered going to others. Can I afford it? No. But I do it anyway.

This addiction has now taken over my life. It's all I think about. I'm powerless to its grip. I need help.

These days I read about converting kitchen waste into ethanol and how to run a generator on waste paper. I seek out experts on air conditioning to talk about a solar-powered AC. Just this morning I couldn't wait to check my mailbox. Sure enough, it was there! The book I'd ordered a week or two ago! Even now, it is hard to write because my latest addition to my energy library has arrived. "The Home Power Producer's Guide to Electrical Reality". At least it came in a plain wrapper.

I'm really screwed now. I had a long list of chores to do around the house. I've been on the road and need to catch up with Mother and the girls (two dachshunds and a cat). They need some quality time. But, I'm not going to be any good for them. Nope. I'll probably steal away to someplace quiet and devour this book on power.

I admit it. I'm addicted... to energy.

Hi Todd-A great read-you speak my language and yes I'm doing homemade solar pv panels,I get such a high when I get another 50-60 watts of the sun-it is hard going though,and doesn't take much for them to pack up-anyway I'll let you get back to your book.

We're all energy addicts, but the important question is: 'are we energy wasters?' The most viable solution is reducing demand, and doing more with less. A little known fact is that 1/4 to 1/3 of the energy used for heating and air conditioning is lost by air leakage through the building envelope. Seal cracks and holes from the INSIDE to get the quickest payback on energy saved. A foam gun will quickly pay for itself. Sealing cracks and holes on the outside causes problems by trapping moisture in the building envelope, which causes rot.

I agree John. When I attended an international renewable energy conference in DC last year the talk was about how "energy efficiency is the fifth fuel". Well, I confess that it took me a while to figure out what I guess are the other four: Solar, Wind, Fossil, Geothermal? But, it is an important point to make. If we would just shave our consumption, we would eliminate the need for all sorts of power plants.

At a bioenergy conference in Baton Rouge last week they talked about how just going to all diesel vehicles would save so many hundreds of thousands or millions of gallons of liquid fuel each year. Well, I don't see our nation getting away from gasoline but it's a good example of how increased efficiency has such a profound impact.

Todd