February Kicks Off with Groundhogs, Obama and Football

I captured this reflection as the ice

from The Groundhog Day Storm began to melt.

I thought the oil streaks mixed with the tree was very telling,

especially since it was taken on the eve of President Obama's

visit to the area to talk about energy conservation.

President Obama visited Penn State University yesterday to talk about energy efficiency and innovation. He was originally scheduled to be here on February 2nd, but a huge snow and ice storm, now dubbed The Groundhog Day Storm, delayed his travel plans. The event was closed to the public (3,000 people attended by invitation only) but I watched him speak through a live video feed on the internet.

Obama unveiled the Better Buildings Initiative, a proposal to improve energy efficiency of buildings by 20 percent over the next 10 years. "Homes and businesses consume 40% of the energy that we use...contributing to 40% of carbon pollution," he said. Through renovations and preservation of existing homes and commercial buildings, Obama suggested this initiative will save energy costs and create new jobs.

Obama also challenged the student population and the university researchers to create better energy solutions. If we "harvest the energy of the young people," he claimed, "we will win," suggesting Penn State's research can be as competitive and successful as its football program. "A researcher in an on-campus lab is just as important as the starting quarterback in Beaver Stadium."

“It’s time to stop subsidizing yesterday’s energy. It’s time to invest in tomorrow’s,” said Obama.

“Innovation is what this country is all about, sparking the imagination and creativity of our people, unleashing new discoveries. That’s what America does better than any other country on earth,” he said.

To help pay for this initiative, Obama has asked Congress to eliminate “the billions in taxpayer dollars that we currently give to oil companies.”

It was a good visit with a great message, but mixed with a bit of irony since Obama flew here and back on the Air Force One jet and was shuttled to the university with a multitude of SUVs. Actions speak louder than words, Mr. President.

It's fourth and one, and I'm not ready to punt. Park the jet, visit us through technology, and tell Congress to stop drawing lines in the sand with party lines. The crowd is on its feet, desperate for a victory. We don't want a cheerleader ~ we need a quarterback with good offensive coaches with a solid game plan. That's not just the Penn State way, that's the American way.

* * * * *

It was nice to have our renovation and preservation work on Our Home Theatre validated. Although it has taken is taking many years, we are slowly converting a building that used 19th century resources into one that reflects newer technologies. We have replaced single pane drafty wooden sashed windows with sealed vinyl sashed windows that will not require the continual maintenance of painting with oil-based paints and which have E Class glass that uses and blocks sunlight efficiently. We have invested in a propane heating system that replaced the coal furnace and pot bellied wood stoves (that we never used because they were antiquated), kerosene burners and electric base board heaters. Our new system now uses a resource that burns cleaner and more efficiently and which flows throughout all of our living space. We replaced the old knob and tube wiring system that used porcelain fuses with cotton covered wires to a 400-amp service, complete with new breaker boxes and wiring. All of these renovations are not only saving energy but also making our home a safer place to live.

Are we saving money and energy? It's really hard to say. Our electric bill has been cut in half but we are using electricity in more places. We are spending a lot more on heating bills, but that is because we are now heating nearly all of 3,000 sq. ft. of living space that used to be addressed only room to room on an as needed basis. Before, we had to make sure we always had kerosene on hand, buying it nearly every other day, slogging 5 gallon containers in and out of the house, getting up early and staying up late to keep the fire lit, all while enduring the smelly fumes. Our huge hallways were always freezing, there was never a feeling of even heat anywhere, and there was always the issue of safety having both the fumes flowing and an open flame burning in our home. With our new system, we keep the thermostat at 65 degrees, so it is certainly not tropical in our home, but this is easily remedied with sweaters and slippers, throw blankets when we sit on the couches, and we no longer have to run the 100 yard dash from our bedrooms to the bathroom. These utility upgrades also allowed us to make other improvements, like adding a washer and dryer to the home, ending an 8-year love/hate relationship with the local laundry mat. So, while it is costing us more in cash (both in initial investments and daily use), our quality of life has definitely improved and our carbon footprint has grown smaller.

But there is so much more to do. We have a total of 8,000 sq. ft. to heat, cool, wire and use. We have explored solar and geothermal alternatives, but neither will work well with our existing building and lot. We have a huge roof that could easily hold solar panels, but the roof is tin and requires maintenance, so the panels would have to be removed every 5 years or so ~ not an easy task. As to geothermal, our building takes up almost all of our lot, so unless we can find a way to dig in our basement, that option is out, too. We could put mini windmills on our roof (that option is still being explored) and there are other underground alternatives that do not require deep digging still under consideration, but short of having our own hydrogen fuel cell, we are currently going to have to stay on the grid and focus on things we can control like insulation and conservative energy use...

...at least until something new is discovered. I certainly hope the scientists and engineers were listening to Mr. Obama. I don't play football, but I am a huge fan, and, if necessary, could even be a cheerleader!