As I type this, here in the Midwest, we’re hoping that temperatures will climb into the 20s from the frigid temperatures that we’ve been experiencing. With heating costs skyrocketing, I have become the “energy police” in my house, running around behind everyone turning things off and quoting my father -- “Turn that off! We don’t own stock in the electric company.” “We’re going to end up in the poorhouse,” and of course, the ever-popular, “Do you think I’m made out of money?”

During the days when I’m home alone, I turn the thermostat way down and bundle up in layers. Despite my warm and cuddly sweats and fleece, it still gets quite drafty in my office though. The old windows in there aren’t quite what they should be, so I began moving my “pile” filing system to block the drafts. While somewhat helpful in keeping me warm, it really wasn’t the most energy efficient solution to the problem, and it most certainly wasn’t a help to my research. So I dutifully filed the pile correctly and replaced it with that mammoth pile of holiday catalogs that grows with every visit from the mailman. Much better!

Of course the media is all over this story. You can’t turn on the TV without some newscaster showing you how Buster Doright has turned to burning last year’s fruitcakes or something similar to heat his home. There are all the usual tips about reversing your ceiling fans, installing weather stripping, and putting plastic wrap over the windows (which I finally did use to replace the catalogs when the pile got so high I began worrying about being buried alive by them).

Of course my duties as chief of the energy police require that I watch all these broadcasts and learn all about the latest gadgets that will save me money in the long run. I’m finding that some are no-brainers and require little or no expenditure on my part. With our family history, we may be overlooking some opportunities to make our research more “energy efficient” as well. Let’s take a look...

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